Consortium of Clans
by UltimateUnknown
Summary: The Uzumaki and Hyuga clans have been at war for generations and the conflict has finally started to take its toll on both sides. To unite the two clans the leaders decide to marry their children, Naruto and Hinata. The two must now overcome the forces that seek to destroy this union and work towards building a new Konoha, all the while developing their newfound relationship.
1. The S Ranked Mission

**The S Ranked Mission**

Glad to have you here! You've already read the synopsis, so I'm not going to say much other than the fact that this story is AU and therefore it does not follow canon. The ninja world in this story has its own unique history and background. The characters though will retain their personalities for the most part. I hope you'll like this new take to the Naruto and Hinata story :)

* * *

_**Start of Arc: An Old But New Union**_

* * *

Every person in the world has physical energy, which is produced within one's body. They use it to do everyday tasks. Tasks that are vital for life to exist. However there is a subset of people in the world who are naturally born with the ability to generate such large amounts of energy that they can release the energy from their body and wield it in the form of various techniques, or jutsus. These people are called ninja.

Naruto Uzumaki, 19 years of age was one such ninja, hailing from the renowned village of Uzushiogakure. He was no ordinary ninja however. Naruto was the heir to the Uzumaki clan, one of the strongest clans in the entire ninja world, his father being its current leader. Furthermore, his mother was a member of the Namikaze clan, another one of Uzushiogakure's most prominent clans. In other words Naruto's lineage made him nothing short of royalty at the village, and he had the innate ability to back it all up as well.

It was evening right now. The sun had gone down a while ago and darkness was about to fully set in. Naruto just returned back from a mission and entered through the gates of Uzushiogakure. He wasn't gone for long however, only for a day in fact.

"Hey guys, I'm back." He walked over to the two ninja guards stationed at the doors. "Could you write me in?"

"Naruto, you've returned already?" One of the guards asked in surprise. "Sorry to have called you back from your mission so abruptly. I know how much you dislike leaving missions incomplete, but it was your father's order. He said he needed you back urgently for something extremely important."

"Don't worry about it. I got the mission done." Naruto shrugged the query off nonchalantly. "In any case, I should get going. Don't want to keep dad waiting if it's so urgent that he had to call me back to the village in such short notice."

Both guards looked at each other in awe for a few seconds as the blonde ninja jumped away to the rooftops.

"Did he seriously solo an A-ranked mission in just a day? That mission would have taken any other full team a week." One of the guards said to the other.

"It's almost unbelievable to see the little prankster Naruto to have grown so much. Now he is arguably one of the strongest shinobi in the village. Heck he might even be on par with his father." The second guard replied.

"I don't know about that." His partner showed a bit of apprehension. "While there is no doubt Naruto has potential, his father is the legendary "Yellow Flash" of Uzushiogakure, one of the Kages no less."

"Well I'd still put my money on Naruto to eventually edge out his father though. But I suppose we'll have to see how that turns out over time."

As the two guards discussed Naruto's potential future, the blonde ninja jumped from rooftop to rooftop at incredible speed until within a minute he reached his destination. The Uzumaki clan house was massive, necessarily so due to it needing to house the largest clan in the village. It had a traditional architecture with a large courtyard at the front and almost maze-like hallways within the complex, leading to a plethora of rooms for the inhabitants.

Naruto however knew his destination – a room very close to the entrance to the clan house, in other words his father's office. The lights were on indicating that his father was anticipating him. Naruto wasted no time and jumped in through the open window.

The room itself was medium sized with nothing too extravagant. It mostly consisted of shelves stacked with books and scrolls as well as a rather large work table with a comfortable looking chair to go with it. Naruto's father, Minato was currently standing behind the table talking with his wife Kushina until Naruto came in, at which point they both turned their attention towards their son.

"Would it really hurt you to use the door for once?" Minato asked with a sigh. No matter how much he tried, he just couldn't seem to get his son to follow the conventional means of doing even the most menial tasks. "I know I called you back pretty abruptly, but I take it you still finished the mission?"

"Yup! You know me. These A-ranked missions are a piece of cake." Naruto replied with a large grin across his face. "Anyway, what's up with me needing to be here so suddenly? Is something wrong?"

"Yeah…about that. I actually called you back to assign you your very first S-ranked mission. This is absolutely urgent."

"ABOUT FRIKIN' TIME!" Naruto's face lit up in excitement. He had never partaken in an S-ranked mission before. More specifically his father did not let him. These missions were incredibly dangerous, not only to the ninja undertaking them, but also to the villages that assigned them due to the highly sensitive tasks that needed to be carried out, which could easily escalate into an all-out conflict between the various parties involved. As such these missions were only restricted to the most elite of ninja, normally highly skilled Jounin or Kage level shinobi. To be assigned an S-ranked mission meant that Naruto was finally being acknowledged by his father to be one of the very best ninjas under his command, close to himself in skill level.

"Darn it Minato. My son hasn't even returned back home for two minutes and you're already talking about the next assignment." Kushina gave her husband a somewhat annoyed look before turning to Naruto with a happier expression. "Naruto I've prepared something special for you tonight."

"How could I forget about that?" Minato quickly followed in Kushina's footsteps.

The two of them grabbed Naruto's hands from both sides and made him sit in the clan leader's chair. Peculiarly, there was a rather large bowl on the table with a lid on top.

"For all your hard work you deserve a treat." Kushina said to her son while gently stroking his spiky blonde hair. "I made it myself."

"That's right Naruto. Just forget about work and enjoy what is in that bowl for now. Your mother poured her heart into it. Trust me, I was there to watch." Minato reassured while patting his head as well.

As he lifted the lid off the bowl, Naruto literally started drooling from the mouth at the sight and smell of the ramen that was in front of him. His hands moved out of reflex as he picked up the chopsticks next to the bowl to dig in. But right at that moment his ninja senses started tingling. Something was very odd.

Naruto gave both his parents a suspicious look. "Mom, did you say you made this for me?"

"Of course I did." Kushina replied with the biggest smile she could conjure. "I poured my heart into it as well. Consider it a gift from mother to son."

His mother's over-enthusiasm only served to scare Naruto even more as he backed off slightly. There was something very odd going on indeed.

"That's weird because you're always the one telling me how ramen is bad for my health and I should stop eating it so much. How come you decided to make me ramen all of a sudden?"

Naruto's question caused both Minato and Kushina to flinch as if they were caught off guard.

"D-Don't sweat the details and just indulge yourself already." Minato said to him with a look of nervousness clearly visible on his face.

Naruto caught on to this however. "There is seriously something suspicious going on here. From previous experiences, it's never a good sign when the two of you sit me down in the clan leader's chair, let alone serve ramen on top. I feel like I'm being groomed for something."

"JUST EAT YOUR RAMEN ALREADY!" Kushina couldn't take the inquisition any longer and grabbed the chopsticks off of Naruto's hand, shoving some noodles into his mouth.

And it was at this point that Naruto's will was broken. One quick taste of ramen shattered all rhyme and reason as he gobbled up the entire bowl within just a minute. Normally one bowl would not be able to satiate his appetite, however it was a truly rare occasion that his mother made ramen for him, the one dish she actively went out of her way to stop Naruto from over-eating. Therefore he savoured the amazing taste of his mom's homemade ramen.

"Thanks for the food." He showed his gratitude by rubbing his belly. "Nothing like mom's cooking right after a mission."

"I'm glad you liked it Naruto." She replied.

"You guys wanna tell me why you called me here?" Naruto eyed both of his parents with a look of anticipation. "I can tell you've got something on your minds."

In return Minato and Kushina shared a knowing glance followed by a nod.

"Son, have you thought about marriage…"

"Alright I'm off." Before Minato could even finish his sentence Naruto was already on his way out.

"NO WAIT!" Both his parents shouted in unison and grabbed his hands again, dragging him back to the seat against his will. "Listen to what we have to say first."

"I don't want to talk about marriage…PERIOD! I'm only 19 years old. Now's not the time for me to think about that stuff."

Minato sighed, already knowing that this would happen when he brought up the topic. "Look Naruto, I know marriage might not be the first thing in your mind right now, but you really need to understand your position. You are unlike any other average kid in the village. You are the heir to the Uzumaki clan; the strongest and most influential clan in Uzushiogakure. As such it is important we do our best to ensure that there will be future successors to this clan as soon as possible. Not to mention, depending on whom you end up marrying, it could have a great impact on not only our clan but the village itself. Do you see now why we're so adamant about the matter?"

Naruto childishly shrugged off his father's words. He just didn't care.

"Come on Naruto, don't be like that. Pay attention to your father." It was now Kushina's turn to do the persuading. "Forget about the clan for a second. Think about us, your parents. We want to see our grandchildren too. More importantly, it is our dream to see our son finally start his own family. You're already a splendid ninja. All you need now is a suitable wife."

"NO! I SAID DON'T WANT TO THINK ABOUT THAT STUFF!" Naruto shut both of his ears off with his hands like a kid, pretending he couldn't hear anything.

Both of his parents sighed again. This wasn't going anywhere. They knew how stubborn their son could be when he set his mind to something.

Thus Minato decided to change the topic. "Alright then, let me ask you a different question. What do you think about the Hyuga?"

The name stirred a deep emotion within Naruto and he looked up at his father with disdain, his expression becoming deadly serious. There was of course a reason for this.

The Hyuga were a ninja clan from the village of Kirigakure. Similar to how the Uzumaki were the most powerful clan in Uzushiogakure, the Hyuga held an analogous position in their home village. Furthermore, just as Minato, the head of the Uzumaki clan was the leader of Uzushiogakure, the head of the Hyuga clan held the position of Mizukage in Kirigakure. Thus the two clans were identical in many ways in the positions they held at their respective villages.

More importantly, the Uzumaki and Hyuga clans harboured intense hatred towards each other since olden times. The two clans fought countless battles and given their influential positions, they dragged the rest of their respective villages into the conflict. The rivalry has been running for so many generations that neither clan could exactly pinpoint anymore what started it all, even though there were many speculations. At this point the conflict was simply a cycle of revenge, as the losses they suffered at each other's hands drove them to keep on fighting.

However, they were now at an impasse. Many generations of fighting had finally taken the toll on both clans and their villages, resulting in the greatest loss either party had suffered in their shared history. This led both sides to come to the stark realisation that something drastic needed to be done to put an end to this struggle. Something definitely needed to change.

Minato was determined to make this change happen and he understood that his son was the key in bringing about such a revolution. Thus he asked of Naruto's viewpoint on the Hyuga.

"I HATE the Hyuga!" That was Naruto's simple reply. "They are a clan who seek to destroy us. They have taken so much away from us. And now I'm finally prepared to stand up to them…to make them pay. Just give me the chance and I will definitely change our clan's future for the better."

Hearing his son's words Minato had a serious look of contemplation on his face. "Change our clan's future for the better…I also think you can do that Naruto. In fact you may be the only person capable of doing so."

Naruto was utterly surprised by what his father was saying. He expected to hear his usual response telling him how he was not ready yet or he needed to work on becoming a better leader first. Therefore, Minato's sudden change in tone came as a complete shock to Naruto.

"Does that mean I get to finally face the Hyuga?" Naruto asked, knowing that the heirs to the Uzumaki clan that came before him have led the charge against the Hyuga clan. It was finally time for him to stand face to face against whoever the future of the Hyuga clan rested with. Naruto was ready to prove himself as a worthy successor to his father.

"Indeed, I do think it is about time you took the helm to end this conflict once and for all. If anyone can, it is you son." Minato replied, assuming a stoic expression.

"Oh wow, this is it. When do I get to fight? What's the plan? Do we even have a plan yet? Tell me already. I bet this is the S-class mission you were going to assign me." Naruto was giddy with excitement. He could only imagine the possibilities.

"We do have a plan Naruto to end our rivalry with the Hyuga, but I don't think it is what you are expecting it to be." Kushina decided to chime in.

Her response only left Naruto confused. "What do you mean? Do I not face them in battle like our ancestors have done for generations?"

Both Minato and Kushina looked at each other, taking in a deep breath.

"We wish to end the conflict between our clans by having you, the son of the Uzumaki clan leader, marry Hinata Hyuga, the daughter of the Hyuga clan header." Kushina told Naruto in the calmest possible tone, even though the message she relayed was ground breaking to say the least.

"The marriage meeting is going to take place tonight in just a few hours and I'm classifying this as your very first S-class mission. Your attendance is compulsory. Non-attendance will be considered an act of high treason." Minato added, this time taking on the demeanour of a battle-hardened Kage.

Hearing his parents' words Naruto's jaws dropped. The only thought in his mind was: _"EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?"_

Thus the consortium of clans was about to begin.

* * *

I hope the first chapter was promising. As you can see I've changed quite a few things around, from what makes a person a ninja to certain clan affiliations. My hope is that all of these will make the story fresh and interesting.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this first chapter. It is always exciting as a writer to find out the readers' reaction to a new story.

I hope you'll join me next time as well :)


	2. The Nameless Princess

**The Nameless Princess**

Hi everyone and great to have you back. I was really glad to see the warm reception to the first chapter. So thank you for that and I present to you all the next chapter...

* * *

After the initial shock had worn off, Naruto was in disbelief of what his parents were proposing. "Are you SERIOUS?! Of all the people you could think of, you want me to marry the daughter of the Hyuga clan leader? Have you forgotten that the Hyuga clan have been our sworn enemies for GENERATIONS?"

"No, we haven't forgotten and that is precisely the reason why we hope for this union to go through." Minato answered back calmly. "I know it may be difficult to accept but this entire war between our clans has been nothing but detrimental to both sides. We have been fighting for so long that at this point it has become a cycle of revenge, and this cycle must be broken now before there is no turning back. I'm sure you are aware that the Uzumaki clan and Uzushiogakure by large are the weakest now than it has been before. This is a direct consequence of the conflicts with Hyuga clan and Kirigakure. We simply cannot afford to become any weaker, or else this village's existence will be at stake."

Naruto could not deny his father's points. He himself had known about those issues but never really stopped to consider their long term effects. "So you think this marriage will suddenly fix all these problems? Everyone in our clan and the village will just accept the Hyuga as allies after all that has happened between us?"

"No, we do not expect everyone to outright accept such an alliance. Bad blood does not fade away overnight. However it will be a start and in the end it is up to the clan leader to initiate the change so that over time the rest of the clan can come to accept it. If we aren't willing to even try to rectify the issues as the leaders of this clan, then there is no hope of ever achieving peace."

Again, Minato spoke rationally but there was something else altogether that was stopping Naruto from accepting the proposal. "I don't like the idea of this marriage. It has political written all over it and the fact that it is the Hyuga we're dealing with just makes it that much worse. You are basically telling me to spend the rest of my life with one of our sworn enemies. I don't see how I could ever live with even a shard of happiness with one of them. It feels like the two of you don't even care about my happiness whatsoever."

"Naruto, as your parents we understand better than anyone that this is hard for you to accept." Kushina added. "But please understand that being a leader entails looking after the greater good of your subordinates, even if that means making sacrifices on your end. There is nothing else that forms alliances between clans like marriages between heirs or leaders. It is something very common. I mean just look at your father and me for example. Our marriage brought about the great alliance between the Uzumaki and Namikaze clans."

"But you two were already acquainted beforehand and it's not like your clans hated each other. The Hyuga are complete strangers to me and I've never even met them before. The idea of this union makes me sick. I can't go through with this. No way. Just no way."

"Naruto, ever since you were a child you've always been saying that it is your dream to one day bring peace and justice to this world. Is that not true?" Minato asked calmly.

"Of course that is true. It has and still is one of my main goals. I train and fight so that I can one day become a hero of justice."

Minato smiled at how seriously Naruto replied. "Although somewhat childish, I always admired that drive of yours. I can tell you are sincere about it at least. But it is time for you to learn some diplomacy and understand that peace cannot simply be achieved with your bare fists. In fact that course of action may lead you in the complete opposite direction. Sometimes you have to do everything in your power to end the fighting, even if it means accepting something you hate vehemently."

Despite knowing that his father spoke from experience and understanding the wisdom behind his words, it was still difficult to accept the current proposition. His mind was in a state of turmoil.

"Also Naruto, I think you misunderstood my previous order." Minato clarified. "I only asked you to attend this marriage meeting. I never mentioned anything about you having to accept the marriage proposal. You just need to attend the event, meet the prospective bride and if after that you still feel so opposed to this union then you don't have to go through with it. As your parents we have no intentions of making you suffer for the rest of your life through a bad marriage, even if it is for the betterment of our clan. That being said, under no circumstances are you to reject the marriage proposal tonight in front of the Hyuga. The Hyuga are the ones who initiated the proposal in the first place and there will be a lot of delegates from various clans attending the event, so a rejection at this stage may lead to a disaster. Are we clear on this?"

"I'm still not attending." Naruto replied stubbornly.

"WHAT? After everything I just said?" Minato was dumbfounded. "I thought I already told you that this was an order from the Kage, the leader of this village and not just a request from your father. If you disobey there will be consequences."

"That's perfect." A large mischievous grin appeared on Naruto's face in response as he knew his father all too well. "If I don't obey your order then you'll punish me. But as I am right now, you are the only ninja in this village who even has a ghost of a chance of capturing me. So it would mean that I finally get my chance to fight you one on one and you can no longer make excuses about being too busy with work to spar with me. It's a win-win situation for me. Just admit it old man, if we fought I'd lay you out flat and show the world that there is finally someone who has overtaken the legendary "Yellow Flash" of Uzushiogakure. In doing so, I'd set myself up in becoming both the leader of this clan and the entire village. No more treating me like a child now. MUHAHAHAHAHA!"

"I'll pay you good money to attend…" Minato now sounded desperate.

"Don't try to bribe me."

"But you're my son."

"THAT MAKES IT EVEN WORSE!"

Minato turned towards his wife with a worried look and changed his tone to a completely defeated one. "Kushina, your son is threatening me using underhanded tactics. Even though I work day in and day out to put food on the table for all of us, he won't even listen to a simple request of mine."

"HEY! Don't try to play the guilt card on me." Naruto retaliated. "And you're the one using underhanded tactics, trying to use your power as Kage to force me to attend some stupid marriage meeting that I wasn't even consulted about before it was finalized."

Hearing Naruto's words Kushina dropped on to her knees, her eyes getting watery in the process. "My son…he has become a delinquent. I went through so much pain to give birth to him, stayed up countless nights to tend to him when he was just a child. Even though I raised him with all the love and care I could ever hope to give to anyone, he doesn't reciprocate those feelings of mine. What did I do to deserve this? What did I do wrong as a mother?"

Thus Kushina burst out crying.

"You've gone and done it now Naruto. As difficult of a feat it is, you've just made your mother cry. I hope you're proud of yourself."

"Eh?" Naruto was completely caught off guard by the sudden change in atmosphere. "Wait…mom, why are you crying? Please don't do that. Now you're just making me feel bad."

"But…but…you won't listen to me anymore. I've failed as your mother haven't I? That must be it. That has to be it." She said within her tears.

"No, that's not it at all. You're the best mom I could ever ask for, really. So please don't cry. I'm sorry if I acted insolently." Naruto apologised sincerely, as he cared deeply for his mother, who had raised him with all the love and care in the world that he could ever ask for. The two of them had a very deep bond which could never be replaced.

"Then does that mean you'll attend the meeting?" Kushina asked while wiping away her tears.

"Uhh…" Naruto flinched from the question, but he understood there was no turning back now despite how reluctant he was. "Fine…I'll go."

As soon as he accepted Kushina and Minato sprung up from their dejected demeanours and shared a magnificent high five like two kids that managed to score a bag of candy from someone.

"Great job Kushina." Minato said to his wife with a nod of approval. "I knew you could do it. Naruto's such a momma's boy. It works every time."

Kushina brought out a small little bottle of liquid and handed it to her husband. "As always, you're a genius Minato. There's a reason why you're a Kage after all. I gotta say those tears drops are incredibly effective. My eyes are itchy even now."

"I'm sorry about that. Maybe I should have ordered a slightly less concentrated one. I just wanted to make sure it lasted all the way through. Here let me help…" Minato held Kushina's face with both hands and gently flew some air into her eyes. "Is that better?"

"Yeah…that feels really nice." Kushina replied with a blush.

In the meantime Naruto was stunned to silence by the string of events that just took place in front of him. His jaws were wide open, so much so that a fly had enough time to go in and come back out. After some time had passed he finally snapped out of his daze.

"ARE YOU FRIKIN KIDDING ME?!" He yelled in disbelief. "Every time I take you guys seriously you always do this. Well, this is the last time I'm falling for it. I'M GONE!"

As Naruto turned around to storm off the room, both his parents grabbed his hands as firmly as possible.

"Come on man, you already said yes. Don't turn your back on us now." Minato requested as politely as possible, knowing that his son wasn't exactly in the best of moods. "Wasn't it your ninja way to never go back on your word?"

"Your father's right. Leaving all the shenanigans aside, we're truly desperate about this, since it involves the clan and the whole village. SO PLEASE…" Kushina requested will all her heart.

Naruto couldn't help but sigh in response to his parents. "Fine…whatever, I'll go. If the two of you are this serious about it then I simply can't reject in the first place. There was no need for all that craziness."

Both Minato and Kushina let out of breath of relief. They both knew that when all was said and done their son would pull through for them, like always. Their bond as a family was a truly unique one.

"You know Naruto, I don't quite get why you were so against attending the meeting. As I said before, it is just a formality on your part. All you have to do is attend and let the rest of us have our diplomatic talks while you have a little chat with the girl. We can reject their proposal later on once everything has been settled. In fact the Hyuga might be intending to do exactly that, this marriage meeting being their way of trying to get us all to sit down for once to try and sort out our issues. So yeah, I don't really see what the big deal is. Unless of course you already have a girl you love, in which case you feel like you're betraying her or something." Minato said jokingly.

But Naruto visibly flinched at this father's ending statement.

"Wait…did I just hit the nail right in the head?"

Naruto backed up a few steps nervously in response, his answer being clear as day.

"WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?" Kushina was on the case before her son could even reply. "How come you never told me about it either? I thought you shared everything with me. I need to know the details here. This is very important."

"Your mother is right. We need to know about this girl you've fallen in love with. Since you are the heir, the future of our clan is at stake here." Minato added. "So, who is she?"

"I don't know." He whispered back. Naruto was fidgeting around under his parents' intense gazes, almost sweating from the tension.

"What do you mean you don't know? Then tell us what clan she is from." Minato kept up the questioning.

"I don't know." The same reply came from his son again.

"Then at the very least tell us her lineage. If we know who her parents are we can figure out the rest." Minato pressed on.

"I don't know any of that."

"Surely you must know her name, at the absolute least." Kushina tried to take a more sympathetic tone than an inquisitive one.

Naruto gulped hard before finally managing to utter out the name, "Hime."

Both Minato and Kushina gave their son a confused look. They couldn't quite figure out what was going on.

"Hime? As in princess?" Minato asked in response, to which Naruto nodded. "Come on, stop playing round. What's her real name?"

"As I said, I don't know!" This time Naruto gave an irritated reply. "I wish I did but all I know is that I call her hime."

Minato held his son's shoulders sympathetically. "Naruto, I get you're at that age where you want to find your own perfect "princess" and live happily ever after. Trust me, I was there too. But you have to come back down to Earth and settle with what is real. This ideal "princess" you're looking for is not real. It is just a fantasy."

Naruto was confused about what his father was talking about when he felt a shiver run up his spine. Minato on the other hand felt a glare that was trying to pierce through his heart.

"WHAT…WAS…THAT…ALL…ABOUT?" Kushina's red hair was now flailing around in the air freely. "ARE YOU TRYING TO INSINUATE THAT I WAS A COMPROMISE?!"

Both father and son hugged each other and yelled in fear. "HAHIIIII! THE RED HABANERO IS HERE!"

"AM I NOT PRINCESS ENOUGH FOR YOU?!" Kushina asked again, this time a frying pan in hand somehow.

"Oh no no no no no…you've got it all wrong Kushina!" Minato tried to defend himself in front of a monster that appeared ready to tear everything to bits. "Princess? Pfft. Who cares about such a measly thing? You're my queen. The empress. Nothing compares to you."

Since Minato was distracted, this was Naruto's golden opportunity to make a dash for freedom.

"Here, I'll help present you to your highness." Naruto pushed his father straight into his mother's grasp and jumped out of the window. "I'll see you guys later tonight for the meeting."

"DON'T LEAVE ME BEHIND NARUTOOOOOOOOOOOO-" Minato cried out, but his scream was quickly stifled abruptly.

Naruto didn't know, neither did he want to know what was happening right now between his parents. He understood very well that some things were better left unknown. Not to mention, he had a lot of preparations to go through for what would be undoubtedly an eventful night.

* * *

Yes, Naruto's family is a bit eccentric (maybe not just "a bit" lol). I'll focus more on them as we go along.

For now I suppose I'll leave you to ponder about who "Hime" is. It'd be nice to see if everyone already guessed who she is. The answer is maybe obvious or not so obvious at the same time. I guess we'll see.

And next time, Hinata and the Hyuga will enter the fray. So until then I'd love to hear what you thought about this chapter and I'll see you all then.


	3. The Childhood Promise

**The Childhood Promise**

This chapter took a bit longer to get out than I initially envisioned. But then again it turned out quite a bit longer than the previous ones. So I hope that makes it worth the wait. I was really glad to see everyone's enthusiasm in wanting to see the meeting between the Hyuga and the Uzumaki, which will begin in this chapter.

* * *

**Flashback beginning - 10 years ago**

A nine year old Naruto stood in front of a girl of the same age. They both looked at each other with great intent, their gazes unflinching.

"So Hime, will you go get married with me?" Naruto asked with utmost seriousness, his eyes glimmering with hope. "You're the one…the only one I want to share that experience with."

The girl to whom he directed that question blushed uncontrollably unlike ever before. Naruto's seriousness only made it even more difficult for her to keep facing him. But she strengthened her resolve to overcome her shyness. She knew that this was not a moment for hesitation.

"You're the only one for me too." She replied, trying her absolute best to keep herself from stuttering. This had to be perfect. "Yes…I'll marry you."

A huge smile spread across Naruto's face as he danced around the forest floor.

"She said yes. YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" He screamed in joy.

"A-Ano…Naruto-kun." Hime broke him out of cloud nine and brought his attention to herself once again. "I said yes, so you must promise me that you won't get married with any other girl but me. Until the time is right, you'll wait for me. And then when we're both ready, we'll find each other once again and fulfil our promise."

Naruto nodded forcefully at her in response. "Of course Hime. I promise that I'll get married with you and only you. No matter where we may be or how long it may take, I'll find you one day and fulfil this promise. I never go back on my word, because that is my ninja way."

Hime also nodded back this time, her anxiety fading away due to Naruto's reassuring words. He had a way of making her feel comfortable unlike anyone else.

"I promise too, and I never go back on my word either, because that is also my ninja way." She replied with a smile that was as bright as the sun itself.

That smile would remain etched in Naruto's mind as one of his most cherished memories. It would serve to remind him of his promise even now, ten years since that fateful day.

**Flashback end – Present day**

"Hime…" The older Naruto whispered her name as he laid down on his bed while remembering the now vague memories of the certain girl he fell in love with such a long time ago, and her smile that stole his heart. Although at the time Naruto's understanding of the concept of marriage was lacking and he couldn't even remember exactly how she looked like anymore given the long time that had passed, his feelings for her were real, carrying through even to this day. Unfortunately there was no way for him to act upon those feelings as he didn't know where she was.

Naruto understood that finding this girl from his childhood would be a near impossible task. She may not remember their promise. She might not even remember him. But he had to meet her at least once more. Naruto just couldn't give up, for he was one who kept his promises, and this was the most important one to him. Yet now suddenly he was in a predicament where he had to attend a marriage meeting with someone else. Just the thought of it felt like he was betraying his own words and thus it caused him great distress.

Nonetheless, the time for the Hyuga's arrival was drawing near and he needed to get prepared. Naruto got up from his bed and looked at the formal set of clothing neatly lying on top of the table with disdain. He disliked having to wear formal clothing, but in all clan related events it was a necessity for every member, especially him, the clan leader's son, to wear them.

He picked up the up the Yukata and let it hang from his hands in front of him. It was bright orange in colour, the type which made you stick out within the crowd. Not to mention, the Yukata was expensive as well since it was custom made just for him from the very best fabrics that could be found in the nation. Certainly his parents did not slouch when it came to getting him the very best attire.

But it looked just so…impractical. He was a ninja after all, those who fought to defend their nation's people from evil and bring about justice. A Yukata was arguably one of the worse pieces of clothing to move about in. Naruto just didn't understand the purpose of this. He guessed it looked nice, but practicality should always come before visual flair. Why then did everyone insist on wearing these things?

At this point Naruto realised that he was just wasting time because of his own reluctance to attend this event. The clothing was just a medium to take out the frustration. It wasn't like he was heading to a battle. Being a ninja meant more than that, involving a large dose of diplomacy and express socialisation, in particular for clans as influential as the Uzumaki.

Thus Naruto started to get changed for the occasion. But his mind drifted back to that girl. He just couldn't stop thinking about her and the events that transpired between them. Those were experiences that he could never forget, because after all she was a notable partner unlike anyone he ever had. There was something about her that made her stand out among the rest. Unfortunately their time together had been short and now Naruto's only wished to be able to meet her once more so that he could reaffirm what exactly made her so special.

"_Hime…I wonder where you are right now."_ One final stray thought crossed Naruto's mind as he finished dressing himself up.

He looked at himself in the mirror to see the mess his clothes were in. The Yukata was crooked and the sash around his midsection was sloppily tightened, causing the rest of the attire to come loose as well. It looked bad and Naruto's lack of enthusiasm wasn't helping in fixing the issue either.

At the very moment there was a knock on the door.

"Naruto, are you in there?" He heard his mother ask from the other side. "I'm coming in."

Before he could give a reply, Kushina was already in his room. It was always like this given her impatient nature.

"I take it you're re-" Kushina stopped mid-sentence after looking at Naruto's abysmal getup. "What have you done? This is an absolute mess. Come on Naruto, you're a young man now. You should at least be able to clothe yourself properly."

"Sorry mom…you know I'm not good with these things. I'll sort it out though."

"You haven't said anything yet." Kushina decided to do a quick spin to show off her attire to her son. "So, what do you think? How do I look?"

At a slightly closer inspection Naruto could see that his mother was wearing her signature red Kimono. It looked gorgeous due to the various black cloud patterns spread across it that accentuated her naturally red hair, which was a trait shared by all Namikaze. However Naruto did not inherit that particular trait from his mother, instead having blonde hair similar to his father, a hair colour all Uzumaki shared respectively.

"Isn't that your favourite one?" Naruto asked with an indifferent expression. "It looks great as always."

"You didn't even look properly!" Kushina pouted at his response. "You have to be more nuanced than that, or you'll have troubles with your future wife."

"Hai…hai…" Naruto responded just as indifferently as before, going back to fixing his own Yukata rather unsuccessfully.

"You worry me sometimes Naruto." Kushina sighed, dropping the small bag she was carrying on the bed. "Here, let me help you with that."

"I can do it myself." Naruto replied, but his mother was already working on fixing his getup. It never failed to amaze him how efficient she was at nearly everything she did. As always it was easier to let her handle it. And that is exactly what Naruto did as he stood in place with his arms outstretched to the sides following his mother's orders as she keenly adjusted everything to centimetre precision.

"Naruto, I'd like to tell you that I'm…sorry." Kushina said to her son in the sincerest manner.

The sudden apology caught him off guard given that it wasn't often that his mother made such a direct confession, especially out of the blue. "Sorry? Why?"

"I thought I should apologise for putting you through this ordeal despite your reluctance. As your parents we feel terrible, but there really are not very many choices from the perspective of a clan leader. This meeting is an opportunity of a lifetime to overhaul the future."

"I really gotta ask, how did this all happen? I mean it's all so sudden." Naruto questioned his mother out of curiosity.

"It wasn't too long ago that your father received a message directly from the Hyuga clan leader himself. It took us all by surprise when we found out that he was proposing a potential marriage between his elder daughter and the son of the Uzumaki clan leader. Although for a long time your father has been thinking of ways in which to mediate matters with the Hyuga, this sudden move took us by complete surprise."

"Wait, if it really is the daughter of the Hyuga clan leader we are talking about here, that's a big deal. Wouldn't she be one of the most important members of the Hyuga clan similar to my status within the Uzumaki? I mean given their position in Kirigakure, she would in essence be like the princess of that village."

"You really are hung up on the whole concept of this princess thing aren't you?" Kushina took a moment to look at her son's face with a smirk before getting back to fixing his clothing. "Anyway, all joking aside, you are correct. She is an integral part of the future of the Hyuga clan, just like you are to the Uzumaki clan."

"Then why would the Hyuga do this?" Naruto was genuinely perplexed. "Doesn't the clan leader care about his daughter? How is he okay with proposing a marriage for her with their worst enemies? What if I turned out to be a major douche?"

"Maybe that's the point of this meeting, to figure out if you are a douche or not." Kushina replied jokingly. "Anyway, from what we were told, it would appear that the Hyuga already know about you. At least that's what the clan leader mentioned. Did you ever meet him or something?"

Naruto was completely taken aback by the assertion. "Of course not. I've never met a Hyuga before. How would they know me?"

"Perhaps they heard about you? You've made quite a name for yourself as the hyperactive knucklehead in Uzushiogakure."

"For some reason I don't think that is a very flattering accolade to be known by." Naruto answered cynically. "So, what next? What did you guys do?"

"Maybe if it was any other Uzumaki, they would have been disgusted at the thought of even sitting in the same room as a Hyuga, let alone have any kind of negotiations. But your father is a very level headed man and as such he understood instantly how important such a meeting could be in finally settling some of the fundamental issues between the two clans, and potentially two nations. More importantly, I believe that Minato always respected the current Hyuga clan leader Hiashi Hyuga ever since they clashed in battle a long time ago when they were about your age. He always told me how Hiashi Hyuga was not only a strong shinobi, but also a rational one at that. Perhaps it was because of that mutual respect that the two of them were able to set aside their differences and call for a truce in hopes of changing the future. Therefore your father consulted with his advisors and after much critical discussion everyone came to an agreement that going forward with this meeting would be in the best interest for both our clan and the village. I guess the hard part then would be getting you to agree."

"By advisor you mean dad consulted you right? You are after all his greatest advisor." Naruto stated in a matter of fact kind of way.

Kushina giggled in response. "Well I suppose you are kind of right about that. Although I don't officially hold such a position, your father does hold my opinion with the highest of regards, probably more than anyone else. Therefore he asked me to help him with this situation as well because he believed that I was the only person who had the ability to get you to oblige."

"So, what was your response?" Naruto asked curiously.

"I agreed to help, but only under the condition that you are required to just attend the meeting and not be forced in any way to actually accept the proposal itself. Although traditionally marriages between important clan members have been very common in bringing about great alliances, I didn't want you to have to accept such a proposition if you were opposed to it. And as your mother I kind of knew you would be against it anyway, just by your nature. Ultimately I wanted you to be able to make your own choice in who you wanted to love, and not be told it by the rest of us. That sounds reasonable, right?"

"I guess I can't argue with that." Naruto answered while smiling inwardly. There was a reason why he was so close with his mother, for she understood him better than anybody else ever did.

"Follow your heart Naruto, but just don't do anything crazy though, because you have a tendency of doing crazy things just like me." Kushina finished fixing Naruto's attire, being happy with the final outcome.

"_Follow my heart…"_ That statement resonated within Naruto's mind as the vague image of "Hime" resurfaced within. He felt he understood now what he needed to do.

"Wow…you look absolutely stunning." Kushina complimented her son with the utmost enthusiasm while she finished brushing his spiky blonde hair. "You have to see for yourself."

As his mother pushed him in front of the large mirror next to the table, Naruto could not deny that his current outfit made him look much more like a potential clan leader than his usual one. Maybe it wasn't so bad to try and look nice sometimes.

"I have something even better that you'll like." Kushina told him excitedly and made her way over to the bed to grab the bag she had brought in with her. From within it she brought out a piece of garment and unfolded it to its full glory. "Your father wanted me to give this to you Naruto. He wants you to wear this today, the clan leader's haori."

Naruto's eyes glimmered in awe looking at the overcoat like jacket with a large spiral design on its back. This was a very special piece of garment, one that was the trademark of the Uzumaki clan leader, worn only during the most important of events. Naruto always loved how epic and important the thing made you look.

"But this is only reserved for the clan leader right? Shouldn't dad be wearing it to the meeting tonight as the representative of the Uzumaki clan?" Naruto asked in surprise.

"While that is indeed true, your father said that you're the main representative of the Uzumaki today and as such you should be the one wearing the symbol of the Uzumaki clan on your back. As his son and as the future of this clan, Minato is proud of you." Kushina helped her son slip on the jacket.

Naruto looked at his own self in the mirror and had no words to describe how amazing it felt to wear it. For the first time he felt as though he had truly grown into an adult. It was surreal.

While he was revelling in the moment's glory, Naruto suddenly found his neck being wrapped gently by a blue scarf, the ends of which now hung freely behind his back. Similar to how his jacket had the Uzumaki clan's spiral symbol on the back, the two ends of this scarf had a design of three wave patterns in parallel to one another, the symbol of the Namikaze clan.

Naruto felt a comfortable warmth emanate from the scarf which couldn't be described by words, but one that undoubtedly reminded him of his mother. "Did you make this mom?"

"It didn't take long for you to realise. Indeed, I've been working on it for a while. I wanted to give it to you as a coming of age gift and now was as good a time as ever. I poured my heart into it, so I hope you like it."

Naruto smiled from his mother's genuine feelings that he could feel through the scarf.

"Like it? No mom…I love it, just like you." Naruto wrapped his mom in a gentle hug one that reminded him of the ones they shared during his childhood. He may have grown up, but his relationship with his mother would always remain the same.

Kushina hugged him back in response as well, the two sharing a moment of silent appreciation of one another before separating.

"I've embedded the symbol of the Namikaze within it. I know I don't say this too often because I don't want to overwhelm you with responsibilities, but everyone in my clan always tells me how proud they are of you, especially your grandfather, who loves you the most amongst all his grandchildren. Given that you are one of the grandchildren of the previous Namikaze clan's leader, your grandfather along with everyone within the clan unanimously would love for you to take the reins of the Namikaze if you ever chose to do so. Of course that is perhaps an unrealistic expectation given all the responsibilities you already have, but I think you should know that we are all happy with the splendid shinobi you have become." Kushina said happily. "But above all, as your mother I am proud to have you as my son. I love you Naruto."

"Me too mom." Naruto replied, feeling both of his parents' and their lineage's legacies weighing upon him. But this was a weight that he would carry with pride.

"The time for the meeting is upon us; shall we go?" Kushina asked while extending her hand to Naruto.

He reached out and held it back, just like he would do when the two of them walked around the village together when he was just a little kid.

Thus they exited Naruto's room and started walking to the main meeting room right near the entrance of the clan. As the two walked along, Naruto was amazed at how the entire courtyard had been changed in a matter of hours for the meeting. The number of people in attendance was also staggering; the leaders of every clan and the village's important personnel were present, so much so that there was no single room within the clan that could accommodate them all. This was not taking into account the visitors, which would not only include a large number of Hyuga, but also many other important members of Kirigakure's shinobi force and prominent clans. Thus the Uzumaki clan's gigantic courtyard was the only place that could hold all these people in one place and as such it had been decorated and set up to accommodate everyone.

Before long Naruto and Kushina reached the main meeting room, which had almost nothing but one rather large kotatsu in the middle and a Uzumaki clan symbol at the back. This room had been set up to hold the marriage meeting between the leaders of the two clans and their families.

Minato who was currently sitting at the kotatsu in his formal attire got up as he saw his family enter.

"You're looking great Naruto." He complimented after seeing that his son was ready for the meeting. "That clan leader's haori looks great on you just as I thought it would. Nonetheless, it's not a matter of how it looks. It symbolises your important role in determining the future of our clan today. So, let's do this."

"Yup, I'm ready." Naruto nodded confidently to his father.

Almost on cue a ninja appeared at the door. "Minato-sama, Kushina-sama, Naruto-sama. The Hyuga and the rest of the party from Kirigakure have arrived."

"Lead the Hyuga in." Minato ordered and the Uzumaki who was at the door nodded before disappearing.

This was it. The moment had come. Naruto could feel his heart pounding from anticipation. This was going to be a meeting of utmost important and he knew exactly what he needed to do.

"_Follow your heart…"_ Naruto remembered his mother's words and instantly he knew what, or perhaps "who" his heart led him to.

Thus Naruto closed his eyes in preparation of what he was about to do.

"The Hyuga are here." Both Minato and Kushina said in unison.

As soon as Naruto heard the door slide open and several people step in, he took in a deep breath to tell them exactly what came from his heart, still keeping his eyes closed to keep his focus.

"I am Uzumaki Naruto, the heir of this clan. I know you have come here today to discuss a marriage proposal and an alliance between the two clans, but I do not want such an allegiance to be established on falsehood. To put it simply, I cannot go through with this marriage because I have already made a promise a long time ago to marry one particular girl. My heart belongs to her alone and I simply cannot lie to my own heart. Therefore, I'M SORRY!"

There was a moment of silence in the room as everyone apart from one person present there could not believe what Naruto just said…until someone decided to reply.

"And after all these years you can finally fulfil your promise to that certain girl, Naruto-kun."

That voice - the way it addressed him as "Naruto-kun". It could only belong to one person if she knew about the promise.

Thus Naruto opened his eyes and for the very first time his gaze met that of the Hyuga clan leader's daughter, Hinata. Or at least it was supposed to be for the first time…but it wasn't!

Those gentle eyes and the serene smile that was as bright as the sun itself instantly brought back a clear image of his very first love, filling in the broken memories.

"HIME!" Naruto exclaimed in both shock and excitement.

Thus, a reunion after an entire decade…

* * *

It is about to begin. I hope you're ready.

Most of you were indeed correct in your assumption that "Hime" was Hinata which was great to see. There is a backstory to this of course. For now I would love to know what your thoughts were on this chapter and next time...well you'll find out in due time what happens next time. It should be interesting.

So until next time, take care...and don't hate me for the cliffhangers lol. I'm an innocent man.


	4. The Outer Self

**The Outer Self**

Hello once again and I feel as though we are settling into a nice rhythm with this story now. So, let's get started.

* * *

The six people in the room sat at the kotatsu, Naruto with his parents on one side and Hinata and her parents on the other.

Hinata donned a purple kimono that matched her midnight blue hair colour. On top of it she wore a cloak with the symbol of the Hyuga clan, a blue flame, engraved on the back. Her hands were also covered by black fingerless fabric gauntlets, atop which was the symbol of another clan.

Naruto's eyes were affixed on Hinata. No matter how much he tried he just couldn't take them off her for more than a few seconds, having them being drawn back at the mesmerising sight. She looked just like a princess, even more so now than what he remembered her as. He couldn't help but think that if this girl ended up becoming his wife, he would certainly be one of the "winners" in life, if looks were the only thing that mattered.

Hinata on the other hand was fidgeting around under Naruto's gaze, connecting her two index fingers together. It was her way of getting rid of her nervousness as she knew that her childhood love was currently looking at her intently. She only hoped that he liked what he was seeing. To her though Naruto remained the splitting image of the gallant knight she remembered him as, one who would go to any extent to protect her.

Minato cleared his throat somewhat loudly to get everyone's attention, in particular the two young ones present. "There is quite a lot we need to talk about, but since this is at least somewhat of a formal meeting, I suggest we start off with some introductions. I suppose I'll start. I'm Minato Uzumaki, the Uzumaki clan head and also the Kazekage, the leader of Uzushiogakure."

"My name is Kushina Namikaze, the youngest daughter of the Namikaze clan leader. Glad to meet you all." Kushina informed in a formal tone before poking her son with her elbow to make him continue, who was still too busy stealing glances at Hinata.

"Ah oh yeah…I'm Naruto Uzumaki, a member of both the Uzumaki and Namikaze clans of Uzushiogakure." He quickly ended his introduction and went back to secretly staring at Hinata, leaving his parents feeling a bit silly.

Hiashi decided to start off their side of introductions. "I am Hiashi Hyuga, the leader of both the Hyuga clan and Kirigakure. In other words I'm the Mizukage."

Hinata's mother was next in cue and she did not hesitate to pick up after her husband. Just by looking at her one could tell where Hinata got her appearance from, having a fair complexion and midnight blue hair.

"My name is Harumi Terumi…rhymes, I know!" She said jokingly with an infectious smile. "My affiliation lies with Kirigakure's Terumi clan, which I'm a prominent member of. Pleased to make all of your acquaintance."

Finally it was Hinata's turn and now Naruto was paying full attention. All the eyes in the room were also upon her, making her more nervous than ever.

"I-I-I'm Hinata H-Hyuga and due to m-my parents l-lineage, I'm a m-member of Kirigakure's two m-most prominent clans…the Terumi and Hyuga c-clans." She barely managed to stutter out before coiling back up out of shyness.

She was so cute, Naruto thought. The way she tried her best despite her shyness was just charming in its own way. But she was a Hyuga, one of the Uzumaki's greatest enemies. Those combined thoughts made for some conflicting emotions.

"So it has been a long time, Hyuga-san." Minato addressed Hiashi with a smile. "It is nice that we get to talk this time not as enemies, but as potential allies. I always thought such a feat would be possible with you, despite our clans' relationships."

"Indeed, much time has passed since we last met. Nearly 20 years if I recall correctly." Hiashi reminisced. "I still remember the "Battle of the Storm", when our clans collided for the very first time under our command as leaders. It was during that battle that you became famously known as Uzushiogakure's "Yellow Flash". It was said that if one saw the yellow flash left behind by your space-time teleportation, the battle would be over in the blink of an eye."

"You make it sound like I was the only one who achieved such feats during that battle." Minato continued. "You stopped an entire battalion singlehandedly, holding down the key strategic position of the battlefield just by yourself. Because of it everyone called you the "Iron Wall" Hiashi, one whose defence could not be penetrated."

"Then the two of us came face to face in battle, and I must admit, it was certainly the toughest ordeal I have ever faced. I was truly put to the test during that standoff."

"Same here." Minato answered back to his once fierce rival. "I'm just glad we both managed to get out of that in one piece, or else we wouldn't be sitting here today."

"That much we can certainly agree upon." Hiashi nodded in agreement.

Both Naruto and Hinata looked at their fathers with a sense of awe. They knew them as relatively normal people who spent most of their time in the office, but both of them had a storied past that earned them the reputation that they had amongst their people. It made them look at their parents in a different light.

"I suppose we could sit here and reminisce all day, but I really would like to cut straight to the chase." Minato had a rather serious tone as he addressed both his son and his prospective bride. "How do you two know each other?"

As Naruto expected, this was clearly going to be the obvious question. After all he had never told his parents about his meeting with Hinata. Therefore he decided to answer. "It happened 10 years ago during that one trip where dad took me with him to Konoha in the land of fire."

"Oh yeah I remember that trip. I was going to have a meeting with Hiruzen of the Sarutobi clan and I took you with me so that you could get to know the Sarutobi, given that they are one of our greatest allies." Minato recalled. "If I remember correctly that was also the trip in which you went missing Naruto."

Naruto nodded in response.

"Naruto went missing during a trip when he was 9 years old?" Kushina was stunned by this revelation. "You let our son go missing and didn't even bother informing me about it?"

"C-Calm down Kushina." Minato replied nervously. "There are reasons behind this."

"There better be some GOOD reasons indeed." Kushina said in an almost threatening tone.

"Seriously mom it wasn't dad's fault." Naruto came to his father's defence. "I just got bored of all the formal meetings and decided to run away into the hidden leaf forest to play. I think I must have gotten carried away like usual and ended up venturing far in, making it difficult for dad to find me. So he really isn't to blame."

"You've always been like that Naruto, playing pranks and up to all sorts of mischief. But your father letting you out of his sight and then subsequently not telling me about this blunder is unbelievable to me."

Minato coiled up slightly, knowing what he was about to say would not go too well with his wife. "I ended up using the fact that Naruto didn't want you to know about the incident to scare him into doing chores for a good while, all the way from mowing the courtyard to tying my shoelaces…stuff he'd never do as a kid."

"MINATO!" His wife was now visibly angry.

"FORGIVE ME!" Minato closed his eyes and put his hands in front of himself in his own defence.

"Mom, dad, you're embarrassing yourselves in front of our guests." Naruto tried to whisper to his parents, but everyone could hear him.

Hinata and her mother couldn't help but giggle lightly at the exchange between the Uzumaki family members.

"You have quite the eccentric family, Uzumaki-san." Hiashi said in his usual stoic tone.

"I don't know if you mean that as a compliment or not." Minato replied with a sigh.

"I think that's a compliment, coming from him." Harumi responded, finding her husband's comment to be an amusing one given his usual uptight nature.

"In any case, let's get back to the discussion at hand." Minato resumed. "So what happened after you went into the hidden leaf forest?"

"I was playing around in the forest until I explored too far in and I couldn't quite find my way back anymore. I was lost. As I was walking around searching for an exit, I miraculously stumbled across a girl about the same age as me. That girl was Hinata." Naruto pointed at the grownup version of the 9 year old girl that he had met back then.

Kushina was a bit perplexed by the scenario concerning Hinata. "If you don't mind me asking, what were you doing in the hidden leaf forest?"

"I was l-lost too." She replied meekly. "I was travelling with some of the other clan members through the hidden leaf forest until I got separated from them and ended up lost. It was during that time I met N-Naruto-kun."

Hinata's father now diverted his attention to Naruto and decided to speak directly to him. "I understand that I should have done this a long time ago, but circumstances did not permit it. Even though my words will never be enough, I hope you will accept my sincerest gratitude for what you did for our daughter back then."

Hinata's mother also chimed in at the same time. "I feel exactly the same way. If not for you, our child may not even be with us today. So truly, thank you!"

Naruto was completely caught off guard by the Hyuga's kind words. This went completely against what he knew them as, who he was told as ruthless and unforgiving. He didn't know what he was meant to do in this scenario. "P-Please, you don't need to thank me. I did what was the right thing to do, and I'm just glad I was able to help her out back then."

"You are too kind." Harumi said with a wry smile. "To be completely honest, we weren't the ones who came up with the idea behind this marriage proposal. It was Hinata herself who suggested it to us because she has harboured feelings towards you since that day. I don't think I could blame her for it either given what you did for her. Women's hearts can be quite dedicated to their first love, especially when it is founded on strong grounds."

"We are told by Hinata that you at least to some degree had mutual feelings back then. I understand much time has elapsed since that event and you may no longer feel the same way. After all childhood words can be fickle sometimes. But in case you still do, I hope you will consider my daughter as a candidate for your potential bride despite the history between our clans. You are special to her and I do not think after all these years she could imagine anyone else but yourself as her husband. I also wanted to iterate that despite its appearance this marriage proposal wasn't made as a strictly political one. However I believe it will have some greatly beneficial effects for both parties if it went through, as I am sure you can image given that you are both the children of the Uzumaki and Hyuga clan leaders." Hiashi explained in the sincerest of tones.

As he took a took a quick glance at the shy girl who was still twiddling her fingers, Naruto understood that despite all this time she hadn't forgotten about him just as he hadn't forgotten about her. She even went as far as to arrange this meeting despite her reserved nature. All of this brought an inexplicable sense of relief and joy to his heart, knowing that those feelings always remained mutual.

"WAIT!" Kushina nearly shouted out in confusion. "Anyone care to fill us in on what exactly happened between these two?"

"I would like to know as well." Minato joined in, looking just as confused. "I'm not sure I followed anything thus far."

Although much time had passed, Hinata could never forget her encounter with Naruto. Thus she decided to explain. "The r-reason I got separated from my clan at that time was because we were attacked by Kumogakure shinobi. E-Even though I managed to get away for a bit, I was eventually found. It was then that N-Naruto-kun fought those shinobi to protect me."

"It was your son's courageous act to protect my daughter even though he knew full well he could have died that kept her from being kidnapped by Kumogakure and have her eyes extracted. In the worst case she may not even be alive right now." Hiashi added.

"WHOA this is crazy!" Kushina exclaimed in shock as she looked at her son. "You actually fought fully fledged Kumogakure ninja at the age of 9? Although I'm glad that you weren't harmed, how did you manage to win?"

"I didn't do it by myself mom." Naruto quickly clarified. "Both Hinata and I fought together. If not for her I wouldn't have managed to push those guys back. My memories don't serve me too well anymore, but I think we also had some kind of help. But ultimately it was our combined effort back then that allowed us to win."

"Well in that case how did you not figure out that Hinata was a Hyuga if you fought alongside each other?" Minato asked curiously. "Her eyes should have been a dead giveaway."

"Back then I didn't know about the Hyuga at all. You guys told me about the Hyuga and our conflict with them much later when I was older. I hadn't seen a Hyuga before either, so there was no way for me to tell she was one. Also, by the time you guys did tell me about the Hyuga, my exact memories of Hinata had already faded quite a bit and I didn't remember much of her features, or a whole lot of our encounter. In fact it was only her smile and the way she referred to me as Naruto-kun earlier that made me recognise her as the girl from my childhood."

"I see…that kind of makes sense. People generally don't remember details about individuals they met when they were kids." Minato nodded in agreement. "But then surely you must have at least remembered her name being Hinata Hyuga right?"

"Ah yeah…about that." Naruto scratched his head feeling silly. "When I first saw her she looked like a princess to me, so I kept calling her "Hime". I ended up forgetting to ask for her name."

"Oh Naruto…" Kushina facepalmed at her son's stupidity.

Hinata on the other hand blushed lightly from Naruto calling her a princess, even if that compliment was directed at her younger self.

"Well, at least they managed to meet again since Hinata remembered Naruto. I guess it worked out in the end." Minato replied as positively as he could. "So, what about this marriage? I wasn't previously aware that our children had known each other for so long, let alone having feelings. This certainly changes the overall outlook of things, since initially I assumed that this meeting would just be an opportunity for us to sit down and talk about some of the current issues we are facing. My hopes were that we could possibly start to put an end to the animosity shared between our clans…not that I felt much in the first place personally."

"I do agree with that sentiment." Hiashi concurred. "Although the Hyuga elders have always tried to drill the fact that the Uzumaki are our sworn enemies into every single clan member, ever since I became a clan leader I really have been questioning more and more our reason for fighting apart from the cycle of revenge, which we don't even remember the start of. Knowing you from our previous encounters, I had a feeling you would agree with me in wanting to put an end to our clans' terrible long standing history of aggression. Therefore when I found out about Hinata meeting your son and her insistence on making this proposal, I thought this would be perfect. If our children were to indeed get married then that would most definitely be the first big step towards a union between out clans. But of course when word got out about this potential marriage, there was an outrage within the clan. The concept of a Hyuga marrying an Uzumaki was inconceivable to most, especially the elders."

"I can certainly understand that. I don't think a lot of the Uzumaki are happy with this either, but luckily they all trust Naruto. So they're willing to let him decide." Minato elaborated. "How did you get the rest of your clan to agree?"

"I didn't…" Hiashi stated with a serious look on his face. "Hinata did."

Minato was confused by what he heard. From what he saw Hinata didn't appear the bold type of person. "How?" He asked.

Hinata looked like she had seen a ghost after hearing Minato's question. Her mother looked similarly distressed.

Hiashi seemed somewhat hesitant in explaining the matter as well, but he knew he had to say something. "She-"

But before he could finish, they heard a sudden crashing noise of something breaking outside, followed by a chorus of loud shouting.

"We better go take a look." Kushina suggested to the rest.

"Yeah…it seems like trouble is brewing." Minato replied in agreement.

* * *

I hope you liked the chapter.

Interestingly enough the title of this chapter is referring to Hinata. I've made her character a bit different than what you may expect as you will see next chapter, which is aptly called "The Inner Self".

I suppose it would be interesting to see if anyone figured out the last question about how Hinata managed to get the Hyuga to agree with her idea regarding this marriage. This will also become clear next chapter.

So, I will see you all next time, which will hopefully be soon.


	5. The Inner Self

**The Inner Self**

I did say last time that I hoped to see you all soon. And this is a pretty quick update thanks to the motivation all of you gave me in the reviews to write it quickly. I hope you'll like it :)

* * *

Naruto and Hinata along with their families ran out into the courtyard only to find a tense atmosphere between the Hyuga and Uzumaki present.

In the midst of it all a young Uzumaki girl in her mid-teens was in tears looking at the mess the food was in on the ground. Her older brother was standing right next to her glaring at the Hyuga, who was in his early twenties as he glared right back.

"HOW DARE YOU DO THAT?" Her brother shouted at the top of his lungs. "My little sister put in so much effort to make that food for all the guests."

"As if I would ever eat food from an Uzumaki. Knowing your kind you must have poisoned it."

"WHY YOU?!" The Uzumaki boy looked like he was at the verge of punching the Hyuga. "ARE YOU SUGGESTING MY LITTLE SISTER WOULD DO SUCH A THING?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm suggesting. She's an evil witch just like the rest of you."

Thus the situation took a turn for the worse with each exchange as the two now looked ready to fight. To make matters even worse, many of the other Uzumaki and Hyuga were starting to get involved as well making the situation reach a near boiling point fast.

Naruto and Hinata were in shock at how quickly things were turning bad. They had heard their clans didn't get along, but to have a fallout within minutes of getting together was beyond even their imaginations. Their reunion was about to be cut abruptly short if nothing was done at this very moment.

Minato and Hiashi both looked very worried as well. They both knew that putting the members of their clans in the same village was a bad idea, let alone in the same compound. It wouldn't take too much of a provocation for their clans to start an all-out war.

"This is not looking good." Minato said to the fellow clan leader.

"It could get ugly fast if we do not intervene at this very moment." Hiashi suggested to his peer. "If this meeting is ruined by a clash between our clans, we may never get another chance to form an alliance again."

"I know…but what would be the best course of action? Think…" As Minato was about to come up with a plan, he saw his son move into action.

Naruto jumped in and landed right in between the two sides, spreading his arms wide while looking at his clan, motioning them to not let matters get out of hand any further.

"Please guys; don't do this. Not now, not today." He desperately pleaded to the rest of his clan members. "Today we're trying to stop the fighting, not begin it anew."

"But Naruto, you saw what that guy did to my sister right? How can I simply accept my family being insulted in such a vile manner?"

Naruto looked at the two siblings and sympathised with them, especially the young girl who had poured her heart into making the meatballs that were on the ground, which no one got to try. Her tears saddened him greatly. He didn't want to see any of his clan members in sorrow. So Naruto picked up one of the meatballs on the ground and ate it.

"Wow…these are AMAZING Chihiro!" He complimented, his stunned facial expression proving that he was speaking genuinely. "No seriously, you have gotten beyond just good. These are incredible compared to when you first started out learning to make them."

"Really?" The young girl asked with a hopeful look.

"Of course!" Naruto replied as he patted her on the head, given that she was like his little sister. "It is a true shame no one else got to try them out. But I appreciate you for the great effort you put into this food. I'll recognise all of your hard work."

Hearing his words Chihiro started to cry again, to which Naruto was caught off guard.

"W-Why are you crying? I said they were amazing."

The young Uzumaki did her best to wipe away her tears. "No…it's just that I'm so happy that you acknowledged me."

Her words brought Naruto some relief because he thought he had said something wrong. Little did he know however that he was the one person Chihiro wanted to impress the most with her cooking, and hence her reason for crying after hearing his compliment.

"You know what, when someone works really hard, they deserve a reward. So choose any gift that you like, and I'll buy it for you as long as it is within my capability." Naruto said with one of his trademark grins. "It can be anything that your heart desires."

"You are as kind as always. Thank you, Naruto-niisama." Chihiro replied with a heartfelt smile. Although she knew that what she truly wanted wasn't something Naruto could give her, she still smiled at him to show her appreciation towards his kindness.

Hinata was observing the exchange between Naruto and the younger clan member and she noticed something peculiar. At first she thought she was imagining things, but upon a little closer inspection she could clearly recognise it. The way in which the young girl looked at Naruto, those were definitely love-struck eyes. Oh no…

To compound upon the matter, as Hinata looked around the courtyard many of the younger female members of the Uzumaki clan as well as the other clans from Uzushiogakure also had a similar look in their eyes. It would appear that Naruto was the centre of admiration of many of the female members of his clan and village, a fact that he seemed to be quite acutely unaware of. All of this attention made Hinata very nervous.

But it wasn't just the young girls who admired Naruto. As Hinata looked even more in detail she could clearly see that every member of the Uzumaki clan showed an inherent respect towards Naruto, even if he was younger than many of them. Simply put, the rest of his clan trusted him deeply and Hinata didn't have a hard time understanding why, given Naruto's kind and selfless nature. Seeing Naruto's relationship with his clan made Hinata feel a deep sense of sadness. She only wished she had something even remotely close to that which he had.

Naruto looked at the rest of his clan members and gently waved at them to take it easy. "See, everything's alright now, so let's all calm down."

"Fine…" Chihiro's older brother agreed despite his reluctance. "But we'll let it slide only because you said so, and this is an important day for you. We're definitely not backing down because of the Hyuga. Let that be clear."

The rest of the Uzumaki sounded their agreement with him as they started to disperse. Naruto could only sigh out of relief. It would appear the situation was defused without too much of an issue.

However that was oversight on Naruto's part as the Hyuga whispered something amongst themselves. Hinata on the other hand knew her clan all too well to realise it wasn't over yet and she felt the urge to step in. But at the same time she realised what would happen if she did decide to step in. She didn't want any more hostility. Thus Hinata was in a state of turmoil, not knowing exactly what she needed to do. For now she hoped that her clan members would take Naruto's cue and give this matter a rest.

But that was of course not the case as the Hyuga that started the argument decided to maliciously step over the food that was on the ground, adding insult to injury.

"Way to butter up the rest of your clan." He commented cynically. "You call this travesty food? Give me a break. That girl and the rest of the Uzumaki clan are nothing but a bunch of failures."

Hinata panicked as soon as she heard those words. She had to do something to stop them, or they would not give it a rest until everything got completely out of hand. Today she was the representative of the Hyuga clan as she wore the clan's symbol on her back. Thus she felt obliged to do something about it. Not to mention, she had been waiting incredibly long and worked very hard to set up this meeting. There was no way she could let this reunion between herself and Naruto get ruined now. Thus she braced herself, despite her reluctance, to take action.

Now this guy was starting to get on Naruto's nerves as well. It seemed like he was trying to deliberately step on his clan's toes and start a fight. And it was working as the rest of the Uzumaki did not take well to the snide comment.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?" One of the Uzumaki shouted back in response.

"I said you are all a bunch of utter failures. A COMPLETE DISGRACE!"

The Uzumaki were no longer going to let such insults slide, at their own home nonetheless. They were getting ready to retaliate. The situation was about to erupt.

Hinata knew the time had come for her to act. Before everything melted down into chaos, she had to stop her clan. Thus, with no other choices left, she finally activated her eyes, the Byakugan, causing the veins in her temples to bulge in response.

At this point Naruto himself assumed a cold tone as he directed his words at the Hyuga while still trying to keep his composure. "Could you not make this any worse? You are our guests and we like to treat our guests in the best way possible. I would appreciate it if you didn't make that job difficult for us."

But the young Hyuga took Naruto's words in mere jest as he replied with a cynical smirk, "That's right, keep the rest of your dogs on a leash. That also includes the little bi-"

His sentence was cut short by a gut wrenching punch that left him staggering several steps backwards in unimaginable pain. The blow had knocked the wind out of his lungs as he dropped face first on to the ground while gasping for air.

Naruto along with the rest of the Hyuga looked on in shock at what just happened, but their reasons for being shocked were completely different. For Naruto, he could not believe Hinata was the one to take such action. For the rest of the Hyuga however, they dreaded the fact that Hinata had been pushed to the point of taking such action.

"H-Hinata-sama, please forgive him and the rest of us for what just happened. It is my earnest request." One of the older Hyuga pleaded in a panicky voice. "We have definitely overstepped our bounds."

"Back off…unless you want to join him." That was Hinata's simple reply. But her entire clan unanimously took multiple steps backwards just from the sheer murderous intent that was within Hinata's eyes. They knew there was nothing more they could do for their clan member now apart from watching his sad fate unfold.

She now diverted her attention to the Hyuga that was lying on the ground in front of her. "Now then, what were my orders again before we came here? I remember making it abundantly clear that any kind of unruly conduct during this meeting would not be tolerated. So, what shall we do about your transgressions?"

At this point there was nothing but a look of pure fear in the Hyuga's eyes as he laid on the ground helplessly from the pain of the previous impact. "I-I'm terribly sorry for what I have done. I'm begging you Hinata-sama, please forgive me."

"Forgiveness…" Hinata's eyes showed cold indifference to that word as she stepped on his right hand. "Tell me, was it this hand that you used to break that plate?"

The Hyuga was now shaking in terror, so much so that words would not escape his mouth.

"I asked you a question." Hinata reminded in an ice cold voice.

"Y-Yes." Came a hesitant reply. "Please Hinata-sama, I will never make this mistake again. Please show some mercy. I'm begging you for forgiveness."

Keeping her foot affixed on her clan member's hand Hinata decided to ask one more question. "Tell me, as a Hyuga you agree with this view correct, that those who have power are the ones who are right?"

The person lying on the ground was in so much fear at this point that his brain couldn't even process what he heard correctly. But he knew all too well not to ever disagree with Hinata. Thus he nodded his agreement, to which Hinata's eyes glinted as she got ready to take action.

"Then I have the power, SO I'M RIGHT!" She shouted and at the same time with a sickening crack she shattered the bones in the young man's hand.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Screams of pure agony reverberated around the compound as the Hyuga writhed in pain under Hinata's foot while she kept increasing the force with which she crushed his hand. She wasn't just satisfied with breaking the bones; she made sure to thoroughly shatter them. Hinata looked like she was relishing the moment of seeing her fellow clan member suffer in agony.

Every other person present at the compound was stunned to silence from the sheer gruesome display, making the screams that much more horrific to the ear.

Having damaged him to her heart's content Hinata crouched down next to her clan member and put a finger on her lips to indicate to him to stop shouting. "Shhhhhhhh…You're bothering all the other guests. Quiet down, unless you want me to tear your larynx out and do it for you."

The young man instantly held in the excruciating pain within him and sealed his mouth shut. If he was lucky she would decide to let him go with this much.

"That's a good boy." Hinata complimented as she stood up once again. "I suppose a dog like you can follow orders once in a while."

She now looked over to the girl whose meal her clan member had ruined. "You there, little girl. He's down, so if you wish to exact your revenge, now's the perfect opportunity."

Chihiro jumped behind Naruto, terrified of what Hinata could potentially do to her after seeing what she did to her own clan member.

This move finally allowed Naruto and Hinata's gazes to meet. Just the deadly look in her eyes sent Naruto's ninja senses into complete disarray. These eyes were a far cry from the warm and sympathetic ones he remembered. But he also knew intrinsically that he faced someone unbelievably powerful unlike anyone before. It was to the point that adrenaline was rushing through his body knowing the danger he faced, and danger was something a ninja of his caliber seldom faced. His fight or flight response was on the ready.

"W-Why? Why did you do that to him?" Naruto asked in disbelief. "He is your fellow clan member."

Hinata only smiled cynically in response as she turned around to look at the rest of her clan members, who all instantly scurried backwards in complete and utter fear.

This was Hinata. She was not the heiress to the Hyuga clan. Neither was she its leader. Rather, she WAS the Hyuga clan. Her will was the Hyuga clan manifested. And if anyone or anything did not fit in accordance to her will, she would break them just as she did with the young man earlier. Unlike Naruto who shared a bond of trust and respect with the Uzumaki, Hinata dominated the Hyuga through fear alone. Fear of her insurmountable power.

"What happened to you Hinata?" Naruto asked once again, still not being able to come to terms with the fact that the kind and generous Hinata could turn out to be like this. "Hime, how did you become like this?"

That last question made Hinata turn towards Naruto with a forceful gaze. "If it were up to me I would have challenged you to a battle right now to see first-hand what the Uzumaki's heir is capable of. However, the other one seems to have taken a liking towards you, so I don't want to take any actions that she would regret too much later. She thinks of you as her knight in shining armour and has been waiting for this reunion for years. But I don't hold such sentiments. To me you are just an Uzumaki…a rival at best, an enemy at worst. Therefore, when I'm around – watch your back – because nobody else will be able to under my gaze."

With that final statement Hinata deactivated her eyes, returning them back to normal as she dropped down to her knees. Her usual meek demeanour had also returned, but when she looked at the mess that was left over from what she had done, Hinata held her head with both hands as tears rolled down her eyes. "W-What has she done? No…what have I done? Not again!" She cried in paranoia, leaving Naruto in an even greater state of confusion.

"What is going on Hiashi?" Minato asked his rival with the utmost seriousness. "She is more than just a simple problem child. Her eyes…I could feel that they were far beyond that of any other Hyuga. It's as if they changed her completely as a person. What is going on here?"

With sadness in his eyes, Hiashi looked at his daughter who was now struggling with her own psyche. He knew the time had come for him to explain everything. "She is Hinata, the Hyuga's bane…the one who the entire clan fears unanimously. And this is the clan's recompense for what it did to her."

* * *

Just as **SkyUnih, AAAllisWell, Arthur Sontill, Flameraven** and **NaruHinaRyu** predicted, Hinata's alter ego has shown up. But I wonder if she is what you expected her to be? I should say that there is actually a big reason for why she even has an alternate side, which is important to the plot. In fact Hiashi hints at it in this chapter. I'd love to see if anyone can guess the reason. I just love reading all of your theories and they can give me cool ideas as well :)

**Chewie Cookies** and **chandu-itachi**: Minato being Kazekage was not a typo. It'll be explained as part of a later chapter.

**guest 8**: D'Awww. You are going to make me blush with what you said. Thank you!

**hinataellis** and **Rose Tiger**: Add me to the group as well. I'm so glad Naruto and Hinata got to reunite...WAIT! I'm the one writing this, so I was the one who made them reunite in the first place. Ummm...what the heck? I'm still happy they reunited :)

As always, I really appreciate the great support you've all shown this story and once again I hope to see you all next time with some answers. Oh and was this the biggest cliffhanger yet or what lol?


	6. The Birth of the Hyuga's Bane

**The Birth of the Hyuga's Bane**

It was nice to see a lot of you being surprised by Hinata's split personality, and her other self being received well. I loved the various names you guys gave her alternate ego, in particular my favourite was "Hinata-bane" from **SkyUnih**. Makes her sound like a Batman character lol. In any case, this time you get to find out how she came to be.

* * *

Naruto and Hinata's parents were once again sitting at the kotatsu in the meeting room, but this time there was an awkward air of tension between them. Both sides knew exactly what the matter was they needed to discuss, but neither side knew exactly how to tackle it.

Realising that it was his job to explain the situation, Hiashi decided to start. "I understand you are probably wondering as to what exactly happened with my daughter earlier."

Both Minato and Kushina nodded in unison while assuming a serious look on their faces.

"Then let us cut straight to the chase. To put it simply, Hinata suffers from a medical condition known as Multiple Personality Disorder. In other words, Hinata has two very distinct personalities that she can switch between."

Minato and Kushina had guessed something like this would be the case, but neither of them wanted to believe it was true.

"Are you serious?" Kushina asked, still not satisfied with the answer. "I've never actually seen someone with such a condition. How did this happen?"

"That's not the only issue here." Minato added to his wife's enquiry. "There was something about her eyes. They weren't the average Byakugan that a Hyuga possesses. They were different somehow. I could feel it. And I'm willing to bet that is the reason why the Hyuga clan seems to fear her."

Hiashi let out a long breath in response. "You are as intuitive as always. But that is to be expected from a Kage. Indeed you are correct. Hinata's eyes are special, and that is the source of her power."

"Care to elaborate?" Both Minato and Kushina asked in sync, curious to know what it all meant.

"Very well, I shall explain. But to do this we must first talk a little bit about the Hyuga's history." Hiashi cleared his throat as he got ready to explain. "Long ago right after the dawn of humanity, it was soon found that a select group of people amongst the rest were born with the ability to naturally generate a much larger amount of energy within their bodies than the average person, and subsequently wield that energy in the form of certain techniques. This group of people and their progeny were later termed "ninja", and their techniques "ninja arts"."

"I think everyone knows this." Kushina replied. "This is the story of how we ninja came to be. How does this relate to the Hyuga though?"

"Amongst the ninja, a very small sub-group of them wished to enhance their vision beyond normal limitations by focusing their physical energy to their eyes. To do this, they trained their eyesight rigorously over many generations until eventually their eyes mutated, becoming enhanced and distinct compared to that of all other shinobi. Thus the Byakugan was born and those who wielded it became known as the Hyuga clan."

"Sounds like what you would expect." Minato answered. "After all, the Uzumaki clan formed in a similar way. Just that in our case we trained to further increase the energy our bodies could produce. Hence we have the largest reserves amongst all ninja."

Hiashi nodded in agreement with Minato. "That is true. In fact most ninja clans and their specific bloodline limits were formed in this way as each clan focused on gaining mastery of certain abilities. However, while most bloodline related abilities have been the same since their inception, the Hyuga's Byakugan over the course of history has not remained constant. Ever since a particular point in time, the Byakugan has demonstrated anomalies within a select few Hyuga under extremely rare circumstances. Hinata is one of those people, and hence why she is feared by the rest of the clan."

"Is this linked to Hinata's split personality?" Kushina couldn't help but ask as she wanted to know even more.

"Indeed it is." Hiashi said calmly. "In fact, what I have said so far is only to preface the story I'm about to tell you next. Therefore, let us begin the tale of the birth of the Hyuga's bane…"

**Flashback beginning – 8 years ago**

Hinata Hyuga was 11 years of age, currently walking through a long hallway of the Hyuga compound that led to the clan's main dojo. She had been summoned by one of the clan elders to attend urgently, and thus she scurried to get to her destination so as not to anger the elder. The only problem – Hinata was in no condition to move, let alone walk.

The bones on her lower left arm were cracked perpendicularly across the middle. Her right ankle also had a pretty bad fracture, making her unable to put any pressure on it. Two heavy casts covered both of her injured limbs. Several of her ribs were broken as well, making for any kind of rapid movement a very painful affair. To compound on to all of this, Hinata could barely see either. After diagnosis the doctors said that she had over overexerted her eyes to the point that her optic nerves had become severely damaged. In fact it was so bad that they even warned that Hinata was at serious risk of losing her vision completely if her eyes were strained any further. Thus Hinata could currently only see through a tunnel vision, and activating her Byakugan was completely out of question as its activation was accompanied with unbearable pain. Therefore the doctors suggested to her at least two weeks of bed rest before she even attempted to walk or even activate her Byakugan, which would take about a month to fully return to normal.

Although her situation was miserable to put it lightly, Hinata welcomed it. Because of her state she thought that at least now her clan would allow her to take some rest. But that was of course wishful thinking as her clan did not quite care about her predicament. Even though she was discharged just last night, she had already been summoned by one of the elders. Hinata only dreaded the reason why she was called given that it was because of them that she was like this in the first place.

They stated the reason for Hinata's current state as "training accidents". In reality it was nothing short of a mob beat down by order of the elders, who were in charge of her training right now since both of her parents were out of the village tending to clan related matters for the past two weeks.

But it didn't matter. Even if her parents were around things would only be slightly less brutal, but brutal nonetheless. In the eyes of her clan Hinata was weak, especially given the fact that she was the daughter of the clan leader. Thus she was always put through intense training exercises that bordered on inhumane, in the hopes of making her stronger. In reality though, Hinata wasn't weak. It's just that she disliked fighting. She only just wanted a normal, peaceful life. A life that was free from turmoil and the Hyuga's harrowing regime in which only power alone was valued. Despite this Hinata desperately tried to live up to her clan's expectations, but her innate shy nature made it difficult for her to live up to them. She was just not the type of person that a Hyuga was expected to be. And that fact alone was made to be the biggest bane of her existence.

As Hinata walked towards the dojo, the Hyuga that went passed her sneered at her rather than feeling sympathetic. The injuries on Hinata's body were a sign of her glaring weakness to the rest of her clan. Despite the mistreatment and no one there to help her, Hinata barely managed to limp her way across the long hallway using just one crutch on her remaining functioning hand. Each step however sent a sharp pain across her chest and made it difficult to breathe due to the multiple broken ribs. But she still somehow dragged her body to her destination from fear alone, knowing that if she didn't show up the repercussions would be dire. She slid the door open and almost stumbled forward on her way in due to the restricted eyesight and fatigue within her body.

Once she looked around closely Hinata saw one of the elders, Miyabi, four Hyuga guardsmen and most surprisingly, her younger sister, Hanabi present at the dojo. All of them looked at her with critical eyes.

Keeping herself barely standing upright on one leg and her crutch, Hinata addressed the elder that was present. "Y-You called me Miyabi-sama?"

"Indeed, I did." She replied with a stern glare. "After your pathetic performance over the training regimen for the past week we are all disappointed beyond words. You have not only demonstrated for the umpteenth time your glaring weakness in battle and the lack of any kind of skill in using your eyes, but at this point you've butchered the name of the Hyuga clan along with yourself. The whole village is speaking about how the older child of the Hyuga clan leader had to be hospitalised because she couldn't even keep up with her training. This is simply unacceptable. In fact, it is disgraceful."

Hinata didn't know what to say. At this point she knew what her clan was like, but to think they could be this cold-hearted was beyond even her imagination. When she should have been getting assistance from her clan members after receiving such grievous injuries, she was instead being berated for those same injuries. What kind of messed up logic was this?

"I'm t-truly sorry Miyabi-sama. It wasn't my intention to sully the name of o-our clan. I've b-been doing my best, but…I-In any case, I ask for your forgiveness." Hinata replied as earnestly as she was able.

But her reply only helped anger the elder even more. "ENOUGH OF YOUR EXCUSES! Your BEST just isn't good enough. As I'm sure you're aware by now, the Hyuga clan does not accept failures and you have done nothing but drag our name through the mud ever since you were born. At this point we're reaching the end of the line with you."

Those words stung really badly, and knowing their implications, they caused Hinata to panic. "P-Please don't say that. I'm terribly sorry for d-disappointing you all. I'll do better next time. So please, give me one more chance."

Miyabi contemplated for a second before looking back at Hinata with the smallest of smirks. "Yes, I think I agree. We will give you one last chance to prove yourself. I think it's only fair given you are Hiashi's daughter."

Hinata was overjoyed. For the very first time one of the elders had shown her some kind of generosity.

"However, that chance will present itself right this moment." The elder stated the caveat, her smirk getting bigger. "You will fight your younger sister right now, who has shown much more promise than you ever have. If you are to win, you get to continue as is and we neglect the shortcomings you've demonstrated. However, if you lose, the consequences this time will be severe. Therefore, prepare yourself Hinata Hyuga."

Hinata was in absolute shock. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was expected to fight in her current condition with so many fractured and broken bones across her body. Not to mention, she wasn't even able to activate her Byakugan, the Hyuga's very signature. To top it all off she was put up against her little sister of all people. This was just cruel, like rubbing salt in wound.

"H-Honourable elder, you cannot be s-serious." Hinata countered desperately. "I'm in no condition to fight at this moment. Even the doctors h-have said so. Please at least allow me to get well first. Not to mention, H-Hanabi is my sister. You cannot expect me to fight her."

"Those handicaps are your own doing. Now you must face this challenge with what you've brought upon yourself." The elder replied sternly. "As for Hanabi, if you can't even beat a girl about half your age, you deserve no sympathy no matter what your condition."

"P-Please, you can't." Hinata requested desperately, but her words fell to deaf ears. She was shocked to find that even her little sister was taking a stance to attack her.

"Now…BEGIN!" The elder ordered and as soon as she did Hanabi thrust forward one of her palms, sending a burst of air towards her sister that sent her crashing into one of the walls of the dojo, leaving her sprawled out and immobilised on the floor.

Thus the battle was over.

The impact rattled all the broken bones in Hinata's body and pain tore through her body in response. She gritted her teeth and clenched her palms so as to not scream in agony, because she knew that doing so would only make her punishment worse. The injury got so much worse that she could no longer even move. So she just laid motionlessly on the ground, hoping that eventually the aching within her body would calm down. But her real concern now was what the repercussion for this instant loss will be. As though her worries were answered, the elder was standing in front of her shaking her head from side to side.

"For years we have been patient, accepting your failures, but now it is clear. There is no redemption with you. We can no longer tolerate this. You have disgraced the Hyuga for the final time." Miyabi said with anger evident in her voice. "Therefore, as the ultimate punishment for every single time you have failed the Hyuga, I deem that the Caged Bird Seal be applied on you."

Hinata's face was overcome with fear as soon as she heard the last statement. She had known all along that the elders were contemplating on applying the Hyuga's cursed seal on her, but her parents kept them at bay with the hopes that she would one day realise her potential. Now there was no getting away from it considering that the two people who defended her were not present. Her worst nightmare was about to become a reality because almost her entire clan thought of her as being weak and unworthy. They all just valued power.

"No…please no." Hinata requested with tears flowing from her eyes. "Please, forgive me. I'll try my best. I'll become better. I'll do whatever you say. Anything but that. Please…"

"My decision is absolute. There is nothing more you can say or do which will change it."

Hinata knew that she was in serious trouble. She couldn't get marked by the caged bird seal. She absolutely did not want such a thing to happen, because the caged bird seal was only applied on those members who had disgraced the clan to the utmost level with their actions; ones who had failed beyond redemption. The X shaped mark on the forehead of those who were sealed was openly present for everyone to see exactly what happened to a failure in the eyes of a Hyuga. It was a sign of disgrace and anyone who was sealed was ostracized by the clan as no Hyuga wanted to associate with them. And given the Hyuga clan's influence over Kirigakure, the person who was sealed was also shunned by the rest of the villagers given that they all knew only the worst of the worst were marked with that seal. Since the seal also destroyed a Hyuga's eyes upon death, in the absolute worst cases, the person applied with it could also be exiled. It simply destroyed your life. And if all of that wasn't enough, the one applied with the seal could also be tortured by the sealer by directly attacking their brain cells.

"I'm begging you for forgiveness." Hinata cried desperately, her face overtaken by paranoia due to fear. "Please, show me mercy."

"You never lived up to our expectations, but the greatest disgrace you brought upon us was when you were saved by an Uzumaki. That feat in and of itself was enough to warrant the caged bird seal. However, being Hiashi's daughter, you were given more chances, and you squandered each and every single one of them. This has been a long time coming. It is only fitting for a failure like you, one who would associate with an Uzumaki."

The mention of the Uzumaki brought back memories of the boy who had saved her from disaster before.

"_Naruto-kun, please save me!"_ Hinata cried for help within her mind, but alas, there was no Naruto to save her this time.

"Brace yourself." The elder started the preparations to apply the seal.

Hinata scrambled her broken body backwards, but her back was against the wall. There was nowhere to run. "You can't do this to me. I did nothing wrong. I only wanted a peaceful life. This is not right."

"Right?" The elder cynically smirked at the young Hyuga's last statement. "You should understand by now that within the Hyuga clan only those who have power are the ones that are right. And I have the power, SO I'M RIGHT!"

It was during this moment that Hinata realised how twisted and evil the Hyuga's way was as the elder grasped on to her forehead despite her desperate struggling.

"FORBIDDEN JUTSU: CAGED BIRD SEAL!" She shouted and instantly the mark of the caged bird seal appeared on Hinata's forehead. But the torture was only just about to begin. "Now for your first punishment. Seal – ACTIVATE!"

The seal on Hinata's head glowed a light blue, sending a searing pain tearing through her brain to every part of her body.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! GAHHHHHHHHHH! NOOOOOO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! NO MORE! PLEASE NO MOREEEEE!" Hinata screamed in utter agony, but the pain only got greater. She grabbed on to her hair with both hands and tore locks of them out of her skull in the hopes of stopping the intense burning sensation within her head, but nothing helped. Her body spasmed uncontrollably almost as though she was having a seizure. Nothing she did would calm the pain. Nothing. It was hopeless.

It was also at this point that Hinata learned the true meaning of anger and hatred, feelings that had built up over the years due to the mistreatment she had received from her clan, but now unleashed completely. All other emotions within her were gone, replaced by only anger and hatred against her own clan…against the Hyuga. She only wished to make them suffer the same pain she was suffering. That wish overcame her entire being, overtaking even the inexplicable pain she currently felt. That one wish became her salvation within the madness.

Thus, during this moment of utter desperation and despair, Hinata heard someone within her head.

"_**I'll make them suffer."**_ She heard her own voice say.

But Hinata never wished for anyone to suffer. She only wanted a peaceful existence.

"_**The Hyuga do not understand such peace. They will only understand through suffering. The same suffering they inflicted upon me."**_ She heard her voice say once again.

But Hinata only wanted to live and let live. She only wanted to survive.

"_**Then it is time I fought for my own survival. There is no other choice. I must fight to live."**_ Her own voice said again, this time completely consuming her entire psyche.

"_Indeed…there is no other choice."_ With her back against the wall she finally agreed with her own voice. She let the anger and hatred consume herself completely, giving birth to a new Hinata, one who would protect her.

"BYAKUGAN!" Hinata's eyes shot open in real life as she activated them. Pain tore through both of her eyes, but no amount of pain could overcome the seething rage and contempt she felt right now. Thus she grabbed on to her crutch and stood defiant against the agony, despite her entire body from head to toe suffering in absolute pain. She would go to any lengths to bring the Hyuga down.

"What the? How are you able to stand despite the seal being active?" The elder asked in disbelief.

Hinata glared at the elder with a murderous gaze, her eyes burning with destruction in mind.

"What is with that look? W-Who are you?" The elder could no longer even recognise Hinata. "What do you want?"

"The hour of retribution has arrived. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a seal for a seal!" Hinata said in a cold yet deadly voice. "The Hyuga has been the bane of my existence since the very beginning. This time, **I WILL BECOME THE BANE OF THE HYUGA'S EXISTENCE!**"

Thus, the Hyuga's bane was born.

* * *

Last time I was quite impressed to see a lot of you pretty much guess Hinata being pushed emotionally by her clan during her childhood, but **WOLF5231994,** **petran** and **Senrab Nobis** really nailed some of the specifics of this chapter. I'm often amazed by your predictions, as though you've already read the next chapter.

So, what will Hinata do next? I suppose I will leave you with the title of the next chapter - "The Ascendant Byakugan".

Until next time - Yay for more cliffhangers.


	7. The Ascendant Byakugan

**The Ascendant Byakugan**

Glad to have you all back once again! I'm sure you just want to read this chapter and not hear me talk, so I'll let you get on with it ;)

* * *

Alter Hinata stood firm, her new temperament accompanied by a definite power surge. She could feel the abilities of her Byakugan intensify and although she would have liked to stop to think about the reasons, there were scores to be settled. Retribution needed to be dealt. Thus she prepared to take action.

"I don't know how she is standing despite the effect of the seal, but subdue her this instant. If the seal doesn't work we'll just have to use blunt force." The elder ordered to the four Hyuga present in the room.

Hinata saw one of those Hyuga charge straight at her, clearly assuming that given her body's broken state he could take her out head on. But he was completely wrong.

The young Hyuga swung her crutch with tremendous force and speed, so much so that as soon as it impacted its target the leg of the crutch snapped in half and went flying across the room. But at the same time the target that it hit which was the Hyuga's head, also split in half, leaving a mess of blood splatter on the ground as he dropped to the floor unconscious. Hinata looked up only to find that the second Hyuga had just stopped a few feet from her in shock of what happened to his peer. This opening was all she needed as Hinata took the now broken but sharp edge of her crutch and jabbed it straight into the man's midsection, instantly eliminating him and resulting in a very gory display.

Hinata now focused on the two remaining men and for the very first time there was an undeniable look of fear in their eyes. They were afraid of this young girl who the clan had always considered weak. Both of them hesitated to make their moves even though the odds were stacked in their favour.

"WHAT ARE YOU FOOLS DOING? STOP HER!" The elder shouted in anger. "That is an order. Disobedience will result in severe punishment."

The two remaining men were caught between a rock and a hard place, but they also charged forward at the young Hyuga.

Hinata's eyes showed her everything. She could see their moves; read them almost like a book and predict exactly what they were going to do. Therefore she allowed them both to rush to her position, giving them a false sense of advantage. As soon as one of the men was about to land a strike, she side stepped with her one good leg and slammed down her broken left hand on the back of his head. The cast that covered her hand shattered into pieces, but the impact with the hard material that made up the cast cracked the back of the man's skull, giving him an instant concussion. The impact was so powerful however that the recoil from it snapped Hinata's previously cracked lower left hand completely in half, leaving it in a hideously bent angle that no hand should ever be in. But she just grabbed her wrist and with one quick thrust snapped it back into place. The pain was unimaginable and her left hand now simply dangled from her shoulder immobilised, but she didn't pay it any heed. She had to move on.

Hinata saw the last of the four Hyuga men approach from behind her and with one quick spin, she swung her broken leg at him out of the blue, catching him completely off guard and hitting him on his upper left arm. Once again the cast that covered Hinata's leg shattered into pieces, but so did the bones in her opponent's arms, who dropped to the floor screaming in pain. Hinata's own ankle had also shattered from the hit, leaving her with no control over her right leg whatsoever. The pain once again was so great that if she could right now she would tear off her limb from her body to reduce it, but she merely shrugged it off as a small loss to achieve a greater revenge.

The elder looked on in disbelief at the bodies that lied on the floor of the dojo. She couldn't believe what the shy and timid Hinata had done. Wasting no time, she ran out of the dojo and into the courtyard.

But Hinata wasn't about to let her simply run away. She grabbed the broken crutch she had used earlier to stab her clan member and extracted it from his body to use as a means of movement, given that two of her limbs were no longer functional.

Even though she knew that there were many Hyuga waiting for her outside, Hinata still dragged her broken and throbbing body to the door. No matter what obstacle came her way, she would overcome it to make the Hyuga pay. However, as she exited the dojo and stepped into the courtyard she was met with a barrage of shuriken directed at her from all directions. Hinata barely managed to raise her functioning right hand to protect her face, but the rest of her body acted as a pincushion as a large number of shuriken dug into her skin. Avoiding the attack was not an option in her current state, so she stood her ground and absorbed it all with every ounce of willpower she could muster. She refused to go down.

Despite the weight of the metal weighing her down, Hinata removed her hand from in front of her face to look at all the Hyuga gathered at the courtyard around the elder, all of them glaring at her as though she were a monster. She simply smiled back at them, ready to pay them back their debts.

Hinata threw her crutch aside and spun her body with a tremendous speed and for the very first time performed the Hyuga's signature "Rotation", the one technique she had so much trouble mastering. A large blue dome formed around her body, sending all the shuriken she had absorbed right back at the Hyuga. Some of them managed to evade, but the blinding speed of the shuriken made it very difficult for many to even properly see the projectiles coming, so they staggered backwards from the hard impact. However, the number of shuriken was nowhere near enough to bring them all down and more Hyuga started to arrive at the scene of the commotion. Hinata was surrounded, completely outnumbered and overpowered.

All the damage she had received thus far was finally starting to get to her, causing Hinata to drop face first on to the ground. She was a bloody mess and even trying to move a finger resulted in unimaginable agony. But worst of all, as Hinata tried to look up at the rest of her clan members, her worst fears were becoming a reality. Hinata's vision was slowly fading away. It would appear that she had overexerted her eyes to the point of no return. With each passing second, her vision started to become darker and hazier until eventually she could only see a small slither of washed out light, but even that light was disappearing.

Even though her will to keep fighting could not be broken, the reality of the situation was starting to dawn on Hinata. Her body simply could not keep up. No matter how hard she may try, this was her limit. The challenge she faced seemed truly insurmountable. Those thoughts hurt her inside more than any pain she had suffered thus far.

With her body broken, her vision completely fading into completely darkness and consciousness teetering at the very edge, there was only one last thought that crossed her mind, a wish she made with all her being right now.

"_If only I had more power…"_

What Hinata did not expect however was to hear a reply to her wish.

"_If it is power you seek then you already possess it."_ A man's voice answered back within her mind.

"_W-What's this voice?"_ The young Hyuga asked back in shock, not expecting this whatsoever. _"Who are you?"_

"_Who I am is not of importance because by the time you hear this message, I'm already long dead. All that is left is my will, since you have inherited it. As such, think of this as an interactive message, one that I've left behind for those who have inherited my will." _The man explained in a calm tone.

Hinata started laughing pitifully at herself in response. _"So this is what it has come down to? I'm in such a sad state that I'm now hearing voices of the dead in my mind. I guess this truly is the end of the line for me, and what a miserable way to go."_

"_I understand your skepticism in regards to the validity of this message, but I would urge you not to distrust its legitimacy until you've heard it in its entirety."_ The man requested very politely.

"_Then at least give me a vague idea of your identity so that you're not just some disembodied voice in my head and I can stop questioning my sanity."_

"_Very well, I shall entertain that request of yours."_

"_Thank you, you crazy disembodied voice in my head."_

"_Even that boy addressed me by the same name when I talked to him. It's rather degrading. So I would prefer if you didn't refer to me as such."_

"_AND I WOULD PREFER IF YOU ACTUALLY TOLD ME WHO YOU ARE!"_ Hinata now started to get angry at their exchange.

"_Geez! Take a chill pill bro."_ The voice in her head suddenly became a lot less dignified.

"_I'm not your bro and I think your true personality is leaking through." Hinata replied somewhat skeptically._

"_AHEM! I sincerely apologise for that outburst."_ The man's voice coughed and returned back to its usual self. _"Now, to answer your question – I used to have many names but simply put I was a Hyuga just like yourself an incredibly long time ago...decades...centuries...eras. So long in fact that I could not even tell you the time anymore. The only caveat being that I was somewhat special due to my lineage."_

"_You lived that long back?"_ Hinata was once again surprised by what she heard. _"But then why did you leave me a message, and why are you communicating it now of all times?"_

"_Those are very good questions. The reason why you in particular are hearing this message is because you have fulfilled the criteria to awaken the powers that I once wielded, and as such you also have the potential to fulfill my will. __This is due to the fact that you are a descendant of mine."_

"_So that means you are my ancestor from a long time ago?"_ Hinata asked back curiously.

"_Indeed that is true." _He replied._ "There have been a handful of Hyuga before you who were also of my lineage that awakened my powers, all of whom faced similar struggles with the Hyuga clan just as you have. But none of them achieved the pinnacle of my eyes' abilities, which are necessary to bring about a change. With you however, I surmise that the story may be different."_

"_Why is that the case?"_ Hinata was now very curious.

"_This is because after centuries, for the very first time both of my descendants have decided to collaborate. You are but one of my descendants. There is one other who is a member of a clan other than the Hyuga. And despite the animosity shared between the clans, the two of you were able to form a bond unlike anyone from either clan has ever done before since my time, one that has the ability to bring about great change."_

"_Who is this person?"_ Hinata didn't quite realise exactly who her ancestor was referring to.

"_Worry not. I believe that over time the two of you will meet again, and when your paths cross true power will awaken, one that may break new grounds."_ The ancestor said with the slightest hint of a smile evident in his tone. _"He has helped you once before and he will do it again, because after all, his role is that of the hero and he has already awakened to that potential during your previous encounter. As for you, this challenge you face against your clan is one that you must overcome yourself, with your own power. But to use that power you will need to become a traitor in the eyes of your own clan. I wonder if you are prepared for this."_

Hinata started laughing in response to the final query. _"A traitor? Do you not see that I've always been despised by my clan? I've already become a traitor in their eyes when I decided to exact my retribution."_

"_Well said. It would appear you are prepared for your role."_ Her ancestor replied confidently this time. _"There is not much more left for me to say at this point, for this is the extent of my message. Not that I could do anything more for you than to leave this little bit of information before my last dying breaths. But even though I may no longer be alive at the time you hear this, you, my descendant are still there, who can fulfill my will. Therefore cast aside all your doubts. __You already have the power that you seek. Let your pain and anger unlock its true potential."_

"_If that is what it takes to put the Hyuga in their place, then so it shall be done."_

"_NOW GO!"_ The voice of Hinata's ancestor gave its final order. _"Betray the Hyuga's expectations, but remain vigilant to never betray yourself."_

With that last statement their communication ended and Hinata remembered exactly what she was fighting for. She could feel it, all of her emotions granting her great power. The torment that she faced for all these years and the pent up frustration finally took form, even giving rise to an alternate personality. All of this was her loss, but it granted her the ability to break the status quo, to make the Hyuga pay. Finally, just as her ancestor said earlier, Hinata realised that she always had the power within her, but it was just her own doubts that held her back. Well, no more. There was no holding back anymore.

Thus Hinata opened her eyes wide and her vision returned to her, one that had ascended past the capabilities of all the other Hyuga that were present. Her white eyes now had small circular black pupils at the centre, a contrast that symbolised her struggle against her very own clan. If the Hyuga were pure white, then she was the black at the very middle, one who stood in odds with the rest.

This was the Ascendant Byakugan, an eye awakened by only a handful of Hyuga through history who suffered great pain and conflict against their own people.

"How can this be happening? Those eyes, they have the mark of the traitor!" When the elder saw Hinata's eyes, she took several steps backward in both awe and disbelief. "No…it all makes sense if I think about it. She is after all Hiashi's daughter, one of the biggest reasons why she is despised so much by the clan. And this turn of events is starting to become almost a repeat of what happened with him."

The elder now turned towards the rest of her clan to warn them. "We MUST put a stop to her this instant, before everything gets out of control. Those eyes are too dangerous. The Hyuga must not be brought down by a traitor like her."

The rest of her clan nodded in response, every single one of them glaring at Hinata with their Byakugan active. But Hinata glared back and the singular glare from her Ascendant Byakugan overcame all of their gazes combined.

Her clan got ready to launch their attacks. In response Hinata activated the ascendant capabilities of her eyes.

"Let us settle this!" Those were her last words as the two sides got ready to collide. The dominance of the side that emerged victorious was about to be established.

* * *

The flashback will end next chapter and we'll get back to Naruto and Hinata in present day. This chapter was important is setting up the overarching plot of this story. In regards to the Hyuga's dislike of Hinata, the reason for it is a bit more complicated than simply her weakness, as you will see. I'm following a theme with the Hyuga clan, one that involves power and betrayal. Hopefully this will become clear over time.

But I'm sure some of you may already be able to guess what is happening here and I'd love to hear your thoughts in that regard.

**SkyUnih** and **FlameDragon14**: Don't worry, Hanabi is fine. In fact she'll appear later on in the story.

Other than that, take care and I hope to see you all next time. Toodles!


	8. The Traitor

**The Traitor**

Let's begin...

* * *

Hinata activated the ascendant capabilities of her Byakugan which caused the gravity in her field of view to increase dramatically, bringing everyone in her vicinity abruptly down to their knees. Her new eyes allowed her to control at will the strength of the gravitational field as far as her eyes could see.

"I…can't stand." One of the Hyuga desperately tried to get back up, but couldn't get his body off his hands and knees.

"W-What's going on?" Another Hyuga asked in confusion. "It's not normal for gravity to act like this."

"This is her doing." The elder replied to the rest of the clan while looking at Hinata. "This is that traitor's power. Don't let up. This obstacle can be overcome."

The Hyuga were persistent. Despite the force holding them down, eventually they started to get back up one after another.

"I DON'T THINK SO!" However, Hinata wasn't going to let that happen. She channelled so much power through her eyes that the veins in her temples bulged even further until eventually they burst, making it look as though she was crying tears of blood.

Hinata exerted her Byakugan to the absolute limit until she could go no further. It didn't help that she didn't know how to use her powers effectively yet. But it didn't matter. Hinata had finally managed to bring her entire clan down, crushing their bodies down on to the floor. There was nothing more they could do against her as they helplessly laid on the floor. This redemption felt good, and it was only just beginning.

Although Hinata could no longer walk, she crawled towards the elder on one hand and leg with a sadistic smile.

"DON'T COME NEAR ME!" Miyabi yelled in fear. "STAY AWAY FROM ME YOU MONSTER!"

Hinata cherished that look of terror. She moved forward like a predator approaching its helpless prey until eventually she got to her target. Hinata climbed on top of the elder, making sure to keep her locked in place.

Blood from all over Hinata's body dripped on to the elder's white clothes, staining it red, but her smile only grew wider. "I've got you right where I want you now. There's nowhere to run."

And she was absolutely right. Her target came to that stark realisation as well, knowing that her wellbeing was in great danger.

"L-Let me go." Miyabi stuttered out anxiously.

Hinata however was unsatisfied. "Is that how you make a request?"

"P-Please let me go." Miyabi said in a much warmer and apologetic tone this time.

Hinata was still unsatisfied. "I don't think you're in any position to be making requests. How about you ask for forgiveness? Maybe then I'll reconsider."

Miyabi was shocked. Her ego would never allow her to do that.

"What's the matter?" Hinata asked as she grabbed on to the elder's throat with one hand. "You want your freedom? Then ask for forgiveness for everything you've done to me."

Feeling highly vulnerable and with no other choices left, Miyabi swallowed her pride before uttering the words: "Forgive me."

"Not good enough." Hinata replied while firming her grip around her throat. "BEG for forgiveness!"

Now the elder was really starting to get scared as Hinata's grasp was becoming increasingly painful. She hopelessly tried to escape but there was nowhere to run. So she had no choice but to beg.

"I'm s-sorry for what I've done. I'm b-begging you, please forgive me."

"You mean forgive me Hinata-sama, right?" Hinata's intensified her grip so much that the elder's face was now starting to go pale.

"P-Please forgive me Hinata-sama. I'm begging you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She said in despair, finding it difficult to breathe.

Hinata only increased the force even further.

"Show s-some mercy." Miyabi cried out in utter desperation. "P-Please…"

Hinata stopped, allowing the elder to gasp for breath. Miyabi was relieved, feeling safe. But she was so very wrong.

"Mercy…" Hinata uttered that word in a cynical tone. "Did you show me any mercy when I asked for it? DID YOU GRANT ME MERCY?!"

Fear returned to the elder's face from that last question and she had no reply.

"You've made me miserable and as they say, misery loves company." Hinata's angry expression now turned vicious. "Trash like you deserves no mercy."

"No please DON'T! This is not right." The elder shouted in horror when she saw what the young Hyuga was about to do.

"Wasn't it you who said that those who have power are the ones who are right? So now that I have the power, I'M THE ONE WHO'S RIGHT!" Hinata pushed her hand on to the elder's forehead and screamed: "FORBIDDEN JUTSU: CAGED BIRD SEA-!"

Just before she could cast the seal on to the elder, someone grabbed Hinata and pulled her away from her prey. The sudden movement rattled Hinata's broken body and was enough to disorient her given that she had already pushed herself well beyond any conceivable limit.

"How c-can you move inside my eye's field of view?" Hinata asked, trying her best to refocus her vision and regain her bearings. There should have been no one who could overcome the immense gravitational pull caused by her eyes.

"You finally applied the seal on her, didn't you? Despite all my warnings. Despite all my requests. You and the rest of the clan just could not get over the past." Hiashi said to Miyabi in both a sad and disappointed tone.

"You expect us to accept that child after all that you did?" Miyabi asked Hiashi in response. "In the end both you and your child are the same. You're both TRAITORS!"

"I'm sorry Hinata. I'll remove this abomination. Although normally only the sealer can remove the caged bird seal, I'm able to do so freely." Hiashi replied and made the required hand signs to erase the seal on his daughter's forehead. "Not that this seal would be able to stop you anyway now that you've awakened to this power."

Hinata felt a difference in her father's voice. He seemed sad unlike his usual stoic self, almost as though he had been emotionally wounded. So she opened her eyes and focused her vision on his face above her. What she saw shocked her.

Hiashi was crying. This was the first time Hinata had ever seen her father cry. But what shocked her even more was the fact that Hiashi's eyes right now were the same as hers with small black pupils at the centre.

"You have those eyes too? How?" Hinata asked in disbelief. At least now she knew why her father was able to move despite her gravity binding technique.

"I should have told you about this a long time ago, the real reason as to why the Hyuga dislike you so much, but I had hoped the situation would get better. It seems to have taken the turn for the worst." Hiashi recalled the memories of his own younger days. "You see Hinata, a long time ago I also brought the Hyuga down to their knees just like you have done today. In a sense these events that happened today are almost a repeat from back then. I betrayed my own clan, stabbed them in the back in cold blood and in doing so awakened the Ascendant Byakugan. You are a relic of those events. You are living proof of my treachery. After all, you are the manifestation of my love for your mother, the person for whom I betrayed the Hyuga clan."

"If you have these eyes then you must understand my pain." Hinata replied in both disappointment and sorrow. "Then why? Why didn't you save me?"

Hiashi could only hang his head in disgrace. "I…I forced the Hyuga to accept your mother and me as their leader using the power of my eyes, despite having betrayed them and knowing that they hated me for it. I should have done the same in your case, making them accept you forcefully. But somewhere within I felt guilty for what I did to my own clan. I wished the clan would accept you and everything would go back to normal. But I was clearly wrong. This is a result of my regrets. In the end I failed not only as your father, but also as a traitor. I can only ask for your forgiveness, but that doesn't mean anything at this point. You've already awakened those eyes, which I feared would happen if the clan pushed you too far. I warned them, but it's already too late."

"These eyes…what are they?" Hinata asked her father. "Why do the rest of the Hyuga hate them so much, going so far as to calling me a traitor?"

"It is a long story but simply put, over many generations of our clan those eyes manifested within a very select few Hyuga, all of whom betrayed their clan in some shape or form. They all faced great pain and suffering with their own people, which awakened those eyes." Hiashi explained. "In reality legends say that the Ascendant Byakugan was first wielded by a Hyuga now known as "The Traitor". He used the power of those eyes to oppress the rest of his clan. One form of that oppression is the Caged Bird Seal, which he created to torture the other members of his clan, something that still exists to this day. Because of this the Hyuga despised that man and called his eyes, the Ascendant Byakugan, the mark of the traitor. Since you have that mark, you are a descendant of that man, hence being labelled a traitor as well. In fact, it is because you awakened to his powers that the caged bird seal didn't quite work on you, since that technique was created by your ancestor. I also have full control over that seal because of the same reason."

There was little doubt in Hinata's mind that the man who spoke to her earlier was the same man her father was referring to. Although there were now many questions, she wondered if that man wasn't as benevolent as she initially thought him to be, having a darker hidden agenda.

"I'm sorry my child. I truly am." Hiashi sincerely apologised to his daughter, not even able to look her in the eyes. "Now that you have the power of those eyes, there is no one within the Hyuga clan who can stand up to you apart from me. But I'll never do so. That is my recompense. Therefore you're free to do with this clan as you wish. Your will shall be absolute. And that will be the Hyuga clan's recompense. Destroy it or prosper it…your choice."

Hinata grinned after hearing those words. "In that case…I'll destroy it."

But almost immediately Hinata's expression changed into one that showed a lot of concern and compassion. "No…I want the clan to prosper."

That was the first time Hiashi saw the two distinct personalities of his daughter. Two personalities that held very different viewpoints, locked in a stalemate of cognitive dissonance.

**Flashback end – Present day.**

Thus Hinata finished recalling the memories of her scarred childhood as she and Naruto walked through the rather spacious garden of the Uzumaki clan.

"I see…" Naruto made his first comment in a while after having listened intently to Hinata's story. "It seems a lot has happened since we met. I don't quite know what to say."

His words disheartened Hinata. Perhaps she should have known that Naruto would probably find her past disturbing, but somewhere within she hoped that he would still accept her despite everything. Maybe that would no longer be the case.

"I know it's difficult for you to simply accept all this. I wish everything could have remained the same. I wanted there to never be a rift between me and my clan. But there is nothing I could do. This really was the only way. She was the only way out for me." Hinata explained with all her heart. "As much as I wanted my past to be different, my other self accepted and overcame all of my pain and suffering. Without her I wouldn't even be here. That is why I simply cannot reject her. She is as much a part of me as I am myself. My one sincere hope is for you to be able to understand this."

"Do you regret your other self?" Naruto asked after hearing her confession.

"As much as I may disagree with her ways of tackling many issues, I don't regret her. After all she fought for my sake, to protect me. And ultimately, that was my wish, to be able to protect myself. Everything that she did was centred on that one wish of mine. Therefore, I cannot regret her, even if that means I'm being selfish."

"I don't think it is selfish to want to protect oneself. In fact we're all like that to a certain extent, unless it comes to protecting those who we love." Naruto replied sympathetically.

His words lifted Hinata's spirits and gave her the courage to relay to him fully what was in her heart. "N-Naruto-kun, would you please listen to what I have to say?"

"Of course." Naruto was a little surprised by how serious Hinata looked.

"I know I'm not the same since we last met. I also know that we were just kids when you proposed to me. I understand that you may no longer feel the same way as before, especially after listening to my story. BUT…I feel the exact same way about you as I did when we last met. No, in reality I feel even more strongly about you after everything that has transpired since then. I value what you did for me more than ever before. You accepted and protected me when no one else did." She closed her eyes and mustered up every bit of courage she could find within. "Therefore, t-this time I want to ask you the same q-question you did to me in the past – Will you marry me?"

Thus she finally managed to say it after all these years.

But Naruto wasn't surprised at all by her question. In fact he anticipated it. "Before I answer that question of yours I have a request to make."

Hinata looked up at Naruto somewhat perplexed. "Yes…sure. What is it?"

"Could I talk to your other self?" Naruto asked kindly.

"EH?!" Hinata was a bit taken aback by the request. "You want to talk to her?"

"Indeed I do. She wasn't exactly a part of the equation the last time we met but now she's an integral factor. Therefore I think it is important I discuss a few matters directly with her. It won't take long and I'll give you your answer straight after. So would it be possible for you to make it happen?"

Hinata understood Naruto's intentions but she was worried about the outcome of this meeting. Nonetheless, despite her fears, if this is what Naruto wanted she would grant him his wish. After all she was the one who decided not to regret her other self.

"Okay, I'll bring her out if that is what you want." Hinata replied nervously. "But please be wary that my other self may not be as accepting of you as I am due to the fact that somewhere in my own subconscious I probably view the Uzumaki as potential enemies due to the enmity between out clans. That view may have passed on to her and exaggerated. So please be careful."

Naruto gave her one of his trademark grins in return. "Don't worry about it! And I'm sorry for leaving you hanging like this. Just wait for me a little bit longer."

His expression melted her worries away and soothed her restless heart, allowing her to smile back at him in return. "Okay, I'll be waiting."

Thus, within a split second Hinata activated her Byakugan and with it her alter ego manifested, one who assumed a harsh expression, a stark contrast to that of the normal self.

"Why have you brought me out?" She asked bluntly, not a hint of kindness in her tone. "There better be a very good reason. I do not appreciate being bothered."

Naruto assumed a hardened expression as well, but maintained his calm.

"Look, I understand you may not be in the mood to talk, and perhaps you like to get your message across with your fists as opposed to words, but right now I have some very important matters to discuss that affect the both of us in the long run. So I request that you spare me some time."

Hinata didn't reply, but she simply gazed unblinkingly at Naruto almost like a detective interrogating a criminal.

But Naruto remained unnerved and continued. "I take it that you already know what my answer is going to be to your other self. Given that to be the case, I think it is imperative that we talk."

Hinata gazed at him for a little while longer before a sideways smirk appeared on her face as she commented with one word: "Intriguing!"

"What is?"

"The fact that you were able to tell that I already knew your answer." She elaborated. "Also, it isn't that I dislike conversations. In fact, I prefer diplomacy over hostility. However, the people that I deal with generally tend to get the message clearer with the latter than the former."

"I see…" Naruto slowly nodded in response.

"Very well, I shall entertain this request of yours." Alter Hinata replied, showing a sign of interest for the very first time. "Let us converse Uzumaki Naruto. I shall judge you based on what you speak. Therefore, pick your words wisely."

* * *

Now that we're done with the flashback which dealt with Hinata's backstory, it is now time to get on with the marriage itself. What does Naruto want to say to alter Hinata? And what will be his reply be to normal Hinata? All of it next time.

Until then, once again take care and enjoy spring break...if you get one lol.


	9. April Fools Special Chapter

**Disarray**

At the time this was a special chapter written for April Fools day to play a prank on my readers. You can still read it to see if you would have fallen for it lol.

* * *

Naruto and Hinata stood face to face with a small distance separating them. Hinata fidgeted around nervously in anticipation while pressing together her index fingers.

"Naruto-kun, your a-answer?" She asked, not being able to meet his gaze directly even though she knew he was looking at her right now.

It was finally time for Naruto to give his reply to Hinata's earlier question about whether or not he would accept her marriage proposal.

"What do you think my answer will be?" Naruto asked back.

"P-Please don't tease me. My heart can't take m-much more of this w-waiting." She barely managed to reply, her voice almost giving out.

"Come on, I want you to take a wild guess." Naruto insisted.

Hinata had no choice at this point. She conjured up the courage to state the aspiration that she held within. "I h-hope your a-answer is ye-"

"NO!" Naruto cut her off with a simple one word reply to her proposal.

And that one simple word started to crumble Hinata's entire world into pieces as she looked up at Naruto in utter shock. Hinata was hoping that she had heard him wrong and that he would give her the reply she so desperately sought.

"There is absolutely no way I would ever marry you." Naruto's words shattered Hinata's world into further pieces.

She wanted to say something, but words would not come out of her vocal cord. Never in her life had she ever had trouble speaking before. She mustered up all her strength however to ask him one single question: "Why?"

Naruto only smirked cynically at the inquiry. "Why? Seriously, you just asked me why? I mean look at you. You're crazy. You have two different personalities that are literally in opposition with one another. Who the heck has that? You must have some serious metal defects to have even developed such a condition. I would have to be out of my mind to involve myself with a lunatic such as yourself for the rest of my life."

His reply felt like a knife that was jabbed further into her heart with every word. Hinata's mind was in disarray unlike ever before. Her hopes and dreams were being shattered into countless pieces by the second. "B-But…our promise…"

Naruto now laughed in her face. "I made that promise to you when I was a little kid. I didn't know any better back then and I certainly didn't known you'd turn out to be a psychopath who takes pleasure in hurting her own clan. If I had known, I wouldn't even have bothered saving you. Your clan hates you. I hate you. EVERYONE hates you. It'd be better for all of us if you didn't exist in our lives."

His words hurt more than any pain Hinata had ever endured. The one person who she saw as her beacon of hope since childhood not only rejected her, but vehemently hated her. She didn't know what to do any more other than cry. She could no longer hold the tears in. Thus her eyes started to get watery.

"P-Please tell me this is not true, that all of this is just a n-nightmare." Hinata said in vain.

But Naruto decided to put the nail in the coffin. "Get this through your delusional head. I wouldn't even touch you with a ten foot pole cuz you nasty girl, YOU NASTY!"

That was all Hinata could take, and it was the point she finally broke. Amidst the anarchy within her mind, Hinata's other self pushed to the forefront of her psyche, activating the Byakugan and manifesting in the real world. Even though the leftover tears still rolled down her eyes, alter Hinata glared death into the Uzumaki with her Byakugan.

"You could have let her down gently. You could have just said no and moved on. But you had to shatter her heart into pieces. The mental pain and torment you've put her through is unlike anything she has ever faced before. For that you'll pay the price." Alter Hinata now exuded a murderous aura as she got ready to take action against Naruto with extreme prejudice. "You don't want to marry her…that's fine. I'll make sure that you can never marry anyone else either. I'M GONNA CHOP YOUR BALLS CLEAN OFF!"

True to her words alter Hinata went straight for Naruto's testicles in an attempt to castrate him. He barely managed to jump away, saving his manhood in the process. But it had begun.

The scions of the Uzumaki and Hyuga clans now stood against one another. This presented the perfect opportunity for the rest of their clans to join in as an all-out war broke out between them, resulting in the ultimate annihilation of both clans.

Thus this grim day where Naruto rejected Hinata and got his balls chopped off as recompense became known across the ninja world as April Fools Day.

* * *

HAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY!

I hope I got you real good. I'm sure there is at least one poor soul (hopefully more) out there I managed to ensnare in this trap. Come on, spill it. I know you're out there lol.

So, did you know this was going to be a April Fools joke chapter all along or did you fall for it? If you didn't fall for it I'll probably try harder next year *trollface*. To be honest there was one silly line in this chapter said by Naruto/Hinata that was meant to give it all away. I wonder if anyone got that.

Other than that I'm currently working on the actual next chapter and it should be up before the end of this week. I hope to see you all then. So take care and be wary of any more April Fools pranks lol.


	10. The Princess and Her Knight

**The Princess and Her Knight**

After the prank I played on everyone last time, I got this chapter done pretty quick. Well it's mainly because I'm on break right now. I hope you'll like it.

* * *

Naruto led alter Hinata through the massive garden until eventually they reached a small circular table with two chairs on opposite sides and a massive umbrella providing a nice shade. This was an ideal spot during the day for anyone to relax and enjoy the scenic view of the nearly countless variety of flowers that grew within the well maintained garden of the Uzumaki clan.

Naruto pulled one of the chairs for Hinata, letting her take a seat before he himself sat opposite to her.

"I appreciate it." Hinata told Naruto after sitting down.

"It is my pleasure." Naruto replied with a smile. He then focussed his attention on the contents of the table, an expensive looking teapot and two teacups set in front of them. "Perfect! It seems they left this here right on time just as I told them to. Before it gets cold, would you care to have some green tea?"

"Thoughtful." Hinata commented with one word after hearing about Naruto's preparations. "I shall take you up on that offer."

She took a sip of the lukewarm tea and instantly a warm refreshing taste overcame her entire mouth, one that she could not quite describe with words. "This is…really good."

"Our clan grows their own tea leaves and prepares them by hand. So it tastes very authentic." Naruto explained. "The tea you just drank was prepared with leaves that I grew and prepared myself. Growing plants and gardening is a bit of a hobby of mine. Perhaps not the manliest of hobbies though."

"Given the outcome, I think it is admirable." Hinata complimented.

"Also, I actually went to prepare this pot of tea before I came to the garden earlier to meet you." Naruto added shyly.

But Hinata had a look of confusion on her face. "Why did you bother going through that trouble? I'm sure you have other clan members who would have made some tea for their heir if you would have asked."

"Yes they would have done so gladly but…" Naruto felt a bit embarrassed to spell the whole thing out but he had no choice, "I wanted to impress you."

"_I don't understand. Why would he want to impress a Hyuga like myself, one of the Uzumaki's sworn enemies?"_ Alter Hinata thought in her mind, finding Naruto's actions truly perplexing. The concept of romance flew about 50 feet past her head as she was even more oblivious about the matter than Naruto himself.

"Well, you can colour me impressed. This may very well be the best tea I've ever had." She told him how she felt genuinely.

"Thanks…" Naruto scratched the back of his head feeling both joy and a bit of embarrassment. Hinata's compliment meant a lot to him.

"There should be some sweets here as well." He said while lifting the lid off of a plate, revealing a collection of cinnamon buns. "Oh wait; these are the ones I bought yesterday. I don't know why they decided to serve these but I'll bring back something more fresh."

"NO!" Hinata nearly shouted out in response, stunning Naruto to a halt. "That won't be necessary."

She grabbed the plate from Naruto's hand and set it back down on the table. Her eyes and mouth both started to water while looking at the heavenly sweets that were cinnamon buns. Oh how she loved those things. If given the opportunity she would eat every single cinnamon bun in the world.

The way she eyed those buns almost looked borderline scary to Naruto, like some predator stalking its prey, about to violate it in an unspeakable manner. Before long she grabbed one of the buns with both hands and started to nibble at it like a little rabbit, making sure not to finish it too quickly. Suddenly her previously scary expression changed into an extremely cute one as she savoured her favourite food ever so gently. To Naruto's surprise, he saw alter Hinata smile happily for the very first time while eating the cinnamon bun in her hands.

"So you can smile like that after all." Naruto commented after seeing even this vicious version of Hinata put on such a happy expression.

"Being able to smile is a basic human capability. So yes I can smile." She said in a matter of fact kind of way before going back to nibbling her food.

"That's true but I meant…never mind." He gave up and instead decided to watch her eat those cinnamon buns with great enthusiasm. The sight was so heart-warming that he could stare at her all day without getting bored.

Having finished eating her favourite food, Hinata once again assumed a serious expression while sipping on some tea. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"I heard everything from your other self of how you came to be. So I wanted to talk to you a little bit about your past and how it affects us."

Hinata eyed him in a stoic manner. "You aren't going to lecture me about my ways of handling the Hyuga are you?"

"Not at all!" Naruto quickly rejected the idea. "In fact given what you have done, I think you are quite hot."

That last comment caused Hinata to spit out a mouthful of tea on the ground in shock.

"ARE YOU OKAY?" Naruto asked out of concern, getting ready to take action if necessary.

"Yes I'm fine." She replied while regaining her posture. "But…w-what are you saying?"

"I mean I admire the fact that your will was unbroken despite all the torment you suffered in the hands of your own clan. If it was anyone else they probably would have given up a long time ago, but you kept on going and even if your methods were ruthless, you did it to protect yourself against overwhelming odds."

"_Somehow your usage of the term "hot" seems rather misplaced."_ Hinata thought to herself, but at the same time her cheeks flushed ever so lightly after hearing his compliment.

"This is what I wanted to focus on." Naruto explained, this time very seriously. "The actions you have taken were all done in order to protect your other self. So while I may not agree with the means, for the end result I am thankful. But those actions will no longer be necessary."

At this point alter Hinata looked severely at Naruto, judging his every word.

However, Naruto continued on. "I was the one who was originally meant to protect her, but unfortunately due to circumstances I could not be there by her side. It is because of that reason she went through all that suffering by herself and you were born. But from this moment forward I will resume my role of being her guardian knight. I will protect her from now until my very last breath. That is my promise and I never go back on my word, because that is my ninja way. As such you no longer need to shoulder the burden you've been carrying all this time."

Alter Hinata was furious. She stood up and activated her Ascendant Byakugan without a single word.

Naruto stood up as well but an immense gravitational pull brought him down to his knees instantly. However, he knew that this was not the moment to yield. He would have to prove to alter Hinata that his resolve was absolute.

Thus, on cue, Naruto's eyes started to change as well. His irises became yellow in colour and his pupils changed shape into black horizontal bars while a dark red colour surrounded his eyes. Naruto had just entered sage mode by absorbing nature's energy and mixing it with his own physical energy. In this new form he was able to stand back up and confront the Hyuga in front of him.

Hinata was the one who was now feeling the strain. It was almost as though the atmospheric pressure had increased manifold, the weight of the air crushing down on her from above. As far as she could tell Naruto didn't even do anything, yet it was as if nature was acting in tandem for him.

"_Just his presence alone is causing me this much trouble to even stay standing. So this is the power of a sage."_ She thought within her mind. _"No…a sage alone does not have this kind of overwhelming presence. This is the power of Uzumaki Naruto."_

Even though the atmosphere weighed down on her, Hinata channelled her powers through her body while focusing her eyesight solely on the Uzumaki in front of her. She stepped forward towards Naruto.

This time Naruto, even in his sage mode, was shaken by the intense gravity that was acting on his body. Even though she was only looking at him, it was almost as though he was up against a force of nature. Despite this he braced himself and stepped forward towards Hinata.

Thus the two of them now stood face to face, their bodies inches apart from one another, unyielding in their own positions even though they both struggled against each other. Neither of them realised this since they focused solely on one another, but the weather had become violent and the earth was starting to shake by the second due to their confrontation. It was a stalemate neither of them had ever faced before.

"You're the one." Hinata said with an unflinching gaze. "You're the other descendant that man mentioned. I can tell clearly while looking at you with these eyes."

"You got his message already?" Naruto asked Hinata curiously.

"Yes…but does that mean you received it too?" Hinata asked, not quite understanding that man's affiliation. "What did he say his identity was to you?"

"I received a message from him when the two of us met as children in which he urged me to protect you with the strength I had inherited. Although he kept his identity rather vague, I did my research looking through my clan's history and I think I've found out who he was." Naruto started to explain. "A long time ago there was an Uzumaki who was thought to be the greatest leader of this clan. Under him the Uzumaki prospered unlike ever before. He was considered as "The Hero" and revered by everyone for protecting the clan and establishing justice. Throughout the history of our clan there have been a select number of Uzumaki who were of his lineage that inherited his power. That power being the ability to become a sage with enough training. As such, given that I'm a sage, I am a descendant of the hero. When his will spoke to me as a child, he told me that you were also a descendant of his and it was my job to protect you. That being said I'm still not clear as to how a Hyuga could also be his descendant given that he was born of an Uzumaki."

"He said the same about you and I've also had the same question." Hinata replied. "But I don't really trust that man since to the Hyuga clan he was simply a traitor."

Naruto was confused by that accusation. The difference in his reputation between the two clans was drastic even though he was allegedly the same person.

"He did say something else that I think is important." Naruto continued. "He mentioned some kind of true power awakening when my and your paths finally crossed, and that we would need that power to overcome some kind of evil."

"He said a similar thing to me as well, although it makes little sense. Nonetheless there are more important matters at hand right now that I want to address." Hinata replied as she turned away from Naruto and walked a few steps away. She seemed to have made up her mind. "Uzumaki Naruto, you have proven your strength. I will acknowledge it, and thus I have no reason to stand in the way of this marriage especially given the feelings my true self harbours towards you. I wish for her to be happy and safe, because ultimately those have were the reasons why I came to be. I believe you're the one who will make her the happiest and keep her safest. After that what I feel is irrelevant. Just make sure to keep your promise of protecting her to the very end."

"I will." Naruto gave a simple but strong reply.

"Then I wish the two of you the best. Cherish her Uzumaki Naruto, because unlike me who has been tainted by the atrocities of this world, she is still kind and innocent. I will accept all the pain and hatred of this world so that she may remain as such."

"No…I will do something about your pain and hatred as well one day." Naruto gave her a resolute answer. "After all, you are also Hyuga Hinata."

Even though Naruto could not see it since her back was turned to him, alter Hinata smiled after hearing his words. "You truly are intriguing Uzumaki Naruto. I look forward to the next time our paths cross again. For now, I bid you farewell."

Thus with that last statement alter Hinata deactivated her Byakugan completely, giving back control over to original Hinata.

"D-Did everything go well?" Hinata asked in her usual meek tone even though she had the memories of her other self.

Naruto also deactivated his sage mode and gave Hinata an empathetic thumbs up with a large grin across his face. "YEP, everything went perfect."

It was at this point Hinata noticed something on the table in front of her. Upon closer inspection she found small crumbs of cinnamon buns left over on a plate and instantly her eyes puffed up and became watery.

"Uuuuuuu…she ate all the cinnamon buns. That's cruel." Hinata cried in sorrow. "I wanted some so bad."

"Of all the things that happened between the two of us, this is what you focus on?" Naruto sweatdropped after seeing Hinata's response. "In any case once we're married I'll buy you as many of those as you like."

"You will? Thank y-" Hinata stopped mid-sentence and her eyes widened at the same time. "W-What did you just say?"

"I'll buy you as many cinnamon buns as your heart desires." Naruto replied happily.

"Before that!" Hinata asked unusually forcefully.

Naruto had to look away for a moment, a small blush creeping up on his cheeks. But he wanted to tell her how he truly felt.

"Hime, from the very first time I met you as a kid I knew there was something special about you. I didn't just protect you because that was the right thing to do, but I did so because you were precious to me. Although we've only known each other for a very short time, we have the rest of our lives for that purpose. The feelings I had for you back then I've never felt towards anyone else ever again. At the time I didn't know what those feelings meant, but now I can say clearly that you were my very first love. So I don't care about our clan affiliations. Even though when we were children I did propose to you, now I want to make it official. This time I'm asking your hand in marriage for real. I take it you feel the same?" He asked with a smile.

Hinata could only nod before she broke down in tears.

"What's the matter hime? Did I say anything wrong?" Naruto asked while feeling guilty for making her cry.

"No, that's not it. I'm just so relieved." Hinata replied as she wiped away her tears. "For all these years I felt the same way but I was afraid that you had forgotten about me, or worse, you'd hate me for being a Hyuga. But finally I managed to work up the courage to convince the Hyuga to make this proposal. It was very difficult and at times I felt everything would be for naught if you rejected me, but I'm glad I followed my dreams….because now I can finally be with the person that I love."

"I guess we both worried about the same things all along." Naruto smiled once again after hearing her side of the story. "But all of that is in the past now. We have a new future to look forward to, one that we shape together. Let's make that future a reality hime…I mean Hinata."

"I don't mind you calling me hime." Hinata told Naruto cheerfully. "To me you'll always be the knight in shining armor."

"And to me you'll always be the princess." Naruto replied just as enthusiastically.

Thus a union between the princess and her knight.

* * *

I had this intense urge to cliffhanger this chapter as well, but I really liked the ending so I didn't. I hope you did too and I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I also wanted to clarify with this chapter that Naruto is very powerful. I know I've been portraying Hinata as strong, but Naruto is no slouch by any means either and he hasn't shown anything yet.

From last chapter, as **P5yCH0**, **kibou-kun**, **petran**, **pingpong2411** and **Roderick** mentioned, the words that should have given away the whole thing were "You nasty girl, YOU NASTY!". It's some stupid phrase that a friend once used and I couldn't stop laughing. So it stuck in my head and I ended up using it in the last chapter. Yes my sense of humor is dumb sometimes. Maybe even most of the time...I hope not :(

In any case, I hope to see you all next time when our protagonists face even more hurdles and hopefully some hilarious situations. Until then, take care.


	11. The Decision

**The Decision**

One final rapid update before my spring break ends. I hope this is good.

* * *

Naruto and Hinata returned to the meeting room where their parents were currently present. Seeing the two of them enter the room made all four of its occupants focus their attention on them, expecting some form of response.

Thus Naruto decided to give his answer. "The two of us have talked and I've reached my decision. I want to marry Hinata."

Even though he had said it to her directly before, hearing him say it again made Hinata's heart start to beat faster. She was almost getting giddy from joy only to realise that everyone was now looking at her in anticipation for her answer.

"S-Since I'm the one who made the proposal, my answer is a-also the same. Of course I will marry Naruto-kun."

Hearing their responses Hinata's mother started to clap cheerfully. Even Hiashi was nodding his head with a visible smile on his face.

However to Naruto's surprise his parents did not seem to be reacting, which was very unlike them given their generally over the top nature when it came to matters regarding their son.

"Very well, since they have given their answers I think both sides should take a moment to talk in private before we reach a final decision." Minato suggested to the Hyuga. "We will leave you here to converse. The three of us will return shortly."

Without any words both Minato and Kushina exited the room, making Naruto follow in their trail. They kept walking through the hallway without any words which left their son in a state of confusion. Naruto thought that they would have been happier after hearing his reply given that they were the ones who initially wanted this marriage to happen. He didn't understand what was going on.

Eventually the three reached the clan leader's office and once they entered Minato shut the door behind them. "Son, we need to talk." He said in a grim tone.

"What's the matter mom, dad?" Naruto inquired his parents. "Why did we need this extra time to talk? I imagined you would have shown your support for this marriage once I said yes given how much you wanted it to happen."

"Naruto…we don't think this marriage is a good idea." Kushina replied with a very serious look on her face.

Naruto was shocked to hear his parents' words. "W-What do you mean?"

"It is as your mother just said. We've come to the realisation that us suggesting this marriage was a bad idea." Minato explained.

The initial shock having worn off, Naruto was now getting frustrated after hearing his parents. "Are you guys serious? After all the coaxing and persuading the two of you did, now suddenly you decide to back out of this once I agree to the marriage? Is this another one of those decisions you've reached because of the clan? Now that I've finally found the girl I want to spend the rest of my life with, you're going to overlook my happiness for the sake of the clan. Seriously, what the heck is going on?"

"You've got the wrong idea Naruto." His mother quickly rejected his accusations. "We're not saying this because of the clan. In that regard this marriage would still be beneficial. However, we think this marriage is a bad idea because we're concerned about you."

"How so?" Naruto was now confused.

"You don't know the details about Hinata's past. It is incredibly complex, as is the mental disorder that she is going through." Kushina elaborated. "She has two personalities, one of whom is very destructive in nature."

"And that isn't all either." Minato decided to chime in. "Hinata has a highly polarised relationship with her clan, one that is built around a lot of hostility. We don't think it is safe for you to have a relationship with such a person."

Once he heard his parents' accounts Naruto finally started to realise where they were coming from. They had heard the story of her past from her parents, the same one she told him earlier.

"If it's about Hinata's past and her dual personality then I know about it." He told his parents calmly this time. "She herself told me everything, and I agreed to the marriage with that knowledge."

Both of his parents had a look of surprise after hearing his acknowledgement.

"And you're okay with it?" Kushina was undoubtedly concerned. "Her other personality is incredibly dangerous. Even if that side of her may not always be present, she is still a part of Hinata and we're worried about the two of you coming into clash with one another."

"I've considered this and that's why I've spoken to Hinata's other self as well."

"I'm surprised you thought so much of it through. What did she say?" Minato asked inquisitively.

"I shared my thoughts about her actions. I told her that although I may not necessarily agree with her methods, I understood that much of what she did despite the ruthlessness was a means to protect herself. I empathise with her to that extent. That is why I promised her that from this point forward I will be the one to protect the original Hinata just like I did as a child. She accepted my proposal and as such agreed to the marriage between me and her real self. Honestly, she is very level-minded when you speak to her. It's not like she wants hostility. She just reacts to it with force to keep herself safe."

Both of his parents were truly impressed by how tactfully Naruto handled the situation. Minato in particular was very pleased by his son's thoughtfulness.

"But it still doesn't change the fact that the situation surrounding Hinata is rather complicated." Kushina argued. "We really just want you to be able to spend the rest of your life in peace and given her gruesome past, it may all lead to disaster."

Naruto understood his parents' concerns. He knew they were saying this because they cared for him. But he absolutely wanted this marriage to happen. Thus he assumed the most determined look he could conjure.

"Mom, dad, I absolutely understand your concerns and I am truly thankful that I have such caring parents. But in this one occasion more than ever before I wish for you two to trust my judgement. My heart truly does belong with her. It has for a very long time. I WANT to protect her of my own free will because she is precious to me. I promise you that I won't make you regret this decision of mine. I know that I will find true happiness with her, because that is what my heart tells me. So please, I'm begging you to put your faith in me." Naruto ended his statement decisively, leaving both of his parents temporarily speechless.

"Naruto-" Kushina was about to say something but Minato gently placed one of his hands on her shoulder and shook his head side to side.

"That's enough Kushina." He said calmly. "Do you not see the look in his eyes? That's the look of a man, not a boy."

This observation prompted Kushina to look into her son's eyes carefully and she could see it too. Something was quite different about him, as though he had matured greatly.

"There are times in a person's life when he makes an absolute decision, and once he has made that decision he follows through it no matter what, even if that means facing up to its negative consequences. That is what differentiates a child from an adult." Minato explained to his wife. "I believe Naruto has finally reached that point. Our son has grown up and we need to treat him as such. We should respect his decision. If he believes in it so strongly, as his parents we should too. I don't think there is anything wrong in that. What do you say?"

Kushina looked from Naruto to Minato and both of them stood firm in their stance, unshaken. The term "Like Father Like Son" could not be more suitable than at this very moment.

She sighed before looking up to them both with a smile. "Sometimes I just can't win with you two. How can I disagree in the face of such decisiveness?"

Hearing that Minato gave Naruto an empathetic thumbs up. "Looks like you're in the clear son. Just make sure not to regret anything."

Naruto returned the thumbs up in his usual cheerful demeanour. "Of course I won't, because I never go back on my word. It is my ninja way after all."

"Good to know." Minato replied just as cheerfully. "Also, since I helped you out in regards to your marriage by setting it up so that you could meet the girl of your dreams once again, you should name your child "Boruto" in commemoration of your father."

Naruto was flabbergasted by the sudden request.

"It's a cool name isn't it Naruto?" Kushina asked him as well. "Since your father is known as the "Yellow Flash" because of how he travels like lightning, the name Boruto is derived from that concept of a lightning bolt. So if you have a son you have to give him that name."

"Why are you two thinking about your grandchildren's name when YOUR SON HASN'T EVEN GOTTEN MARRIED YET?!" Naruto asked rather fiercely before turning away from his parents and taking a meek tone. "But fine whatever. I'm grateful to you two for setting up this marriage, so I'll name my son Boruto if I ever have one."

"BOOM! GOT IT!" Both Minato and Kushina shared a massive high five due to their success before placing their hands on their son's shoulders.

"Alright then, how about we go finalise the marriage with the Hyuga?" Minato asked his son with a large grin across his face.

"LET'S GOOOOOOOO!" Kushina didn't bother waiting for her son's answer as she pushed him along with her pace.

Naruto couldn't help but smile as well from his parents' infectious enthusiasm.

Elsewhere in the compound within the meeting room the Hyuga family were having a discussion of their own.

"You did well Hinata." Harumi said to her daughter while patting her on the head. "Aren't you happy you worked up the courage to make this a reality?"

Hinata nodded heartily, her elation abundantly evident.

"I'm glad everything turned out well without any hitches. I was worried the Uzumaki would back down after learning of your other self." Hiashi told his daughter. "But I suppose the faith you put in Uzumaki Naruto was well founded. Now I can feel at peace, at least for my child."

"It's thanks to the both of you for supporting me when the rest of the clan was so opposed to it. For that I am truly grateful. Thank you otou-sama, okaa-sama."

"We're glad that you're happy." Harumi hugged her daughter out of joy. "Oh and you do remember our little deal right, one that we agreed upon if this marriage went through?"

Hinata blushed strongly as she nodded back at her parents.

Harumi giggled as she lightly pinched her child's adorable cheeks. "If you have a daughter, make sure to name her "Himawari". I think it would fit perfectly given our names, since Harumi means "sunny", Hiashi means "daytime" and Hinata means "towards the sun". What kind of flower blooms towards the sun during a bright sunny day? A sunflower of course. In other words "Himawari". Isn't it a nice name?"

Hinata's face was becoming as red as a tomato from hearing her mother talk about her grandchildren. Her and Naruto's children to be more specific. Just that thought alone was enough to send her innocent mind into disarray. In fact some of the images that came up in her mind in regards to how these babies would be conceived were a bit too much for her to handle.

"Auauauauauauauauau…" Hinata's head spun around in both embarrassment and disbelief.

"Too much." Hiashi told his wife.

"Yeah, so it seems." Harumi couldn't help but keep on chuckling at her daughter's childlike display.

When Hinata came to she wanted to show her appreciation towards her parents for their support. To give her potential child a name that her parents so carefully selected would be an honour for her.

"If I have a d-daughter, then I'll happily name her Himawari." She barely managed to utter out before coiling back out of shyness.

"Thanks." Harumi replied with a smile. Even Hiashi couldn't help but nod his head in agreement.

At that point the door to the room opened and the Uzumaki family walked in.

"So the three of us have talked it through and we'd be glad for this marriage between Naruto and Hinata to happen." Minato told the Hyuga. "What about your side?"

"Verily the three of us have no qualms either. We also would like for this marriage between Naruto and Hinata to take place." Hiashi replied back with certainty.

"Then it's confirmed. I have but one request." Minato said to the Hyuga. "I would like for this marriage to take place tonight; right now to be more specific."

Both Naruto and Hinata's eyes widened in shock.

"W-What are you saying dad? Isn't that too quick? What about preparations?" Naruto asked his father while his mouth gaped like a fish.

"Right now members from almost all the major clans of Kirigakure and Uzushiogakure are present at this meeting. Gathering everyone here once again would be a very difficult task. This is literally the perfect timing to hold the marriage. We've already made preparations to accommodate all these people for the entire night, so this marriage should not be an issue. What do you say Hyuga-san?" Minato now diverted his attention to Hiashi and asked of his opinion.

"I agree with you. Kirigakure and Uzushiogakure are villages in two distant lands. Travelling between them, especially with such large parties is rather difficult. I would also like for us to take this opportunity to establish this marriage while such a large party is present. It should really solidify the newfound relationship between not only the Uzumaki and Hyuga clans, but also Uzushiogakure and Kirigakure. Are you two okay with this? It is your marriage after all." Hiashi asked both Naruto and Hinata.

"Yeah…its fine with me. I was just a bit surprised, that is all." Naruto replied while once again regaining his composure.

"I'm happy with it too." Hinata gave her response rather decisively.

"Well, in that case we should get this starte-" Minato was saying to the rest of the people present in the room when someone suddenly interrupted him.

"HOLD IT!" A voice shouted out from somewhere as a poof a white smoke appeared in front of the door to the room.

Everyone's attention was now focused on this newcomer.

A shadowy figure within the smoke started to do some kind of weird dance-like movement on one leg with their arms outstretched.

"From the east to the west to the north to the south, I am known as the great toad sage of Mount Myoboku, JIRAIYA!" He introduced himself boldly, a man in his 60s. "I have received news that Naruto is about to get married, so I have come to make sure that the size of his prospective bride's marshmallows is adequate enough, for this is a matter of utmost importance."

"PERVY SAGE, YOU'RE BACK!" Naruto screamed out a rather unflattering name of the newcomer before quickly jumping in front of Hinata, taking a defensive stance. "DON'T YOU DARE TAKE ONE MORE STEP TOWARDS HER!"

Hinata was dumbfounded by what was going on.

Jiraiya twitched his hands as he smiled lecherously. "Come on Naruto. Let me at least have a look at her."

"Keep your filthy hands off my wife...ummm…about to be wife." Naruto was now in full on defence mode. "I'm warning you, you perverted sage."

The old man now looked somewhat annoyed. "How dare you address me with such a demeaning term after all the time we've spent together? You should know by now that I'm not what you call me."

Naruto gave him a questioning glance in response. "If you aren't a pervert then what are you?"

A massive smile appeared on Jiraiya's face as he swung his great white hair. "I'm not just some pervert, I'M A SUPER PERVERT!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

"JIRAIYAAAAAA!" An old lady screamed his name furiously, kicking the door behind him straight at his back, slamming him into the ground. This person had blonde hair and was similar to Jiraiya in age but appeared younger due to a jutsu.

"TSUNADE-BAACHAN!" Naruto shouted her name as he run straight into her and engulfed her in a massive hug. "You're back as well. I'm so glad. It's been a while since you've been gone."

Tsunade patted Naruto's head gently in return, being just as happy to see him. "Of course I returned. There's no way I would miss your wedding. Now then, let's cut straight to the chase. I would like to get to know the lucky girl."

Jiraiya finally managed to get the door off of him and stand back up. "Yeah I think I'd like to meet her as well…all joking aside." He said seriously this time while rubbing his back, leaving aside his morally ambiguous act.

"Of course! Let me introduce the two of you to Hinata." Naruto replied happily to two of his dearest people.

* * *

Some new characters added into the mix. Even more to come.

It would be fun to see if you guys managed to guess what Jiraiya and Tsunade's relationships are to Naruto. I'll list the people who guess it correctly next chapter. Just remember that they are very close and in this story a lot of their relationships have been changed around.

That is all for today as I prepare for my little spring break to end shortly. Hope everyone else had a good time as well. See you all next time.


	12. Dreams & Nightmares

**Dreams &amp; Nightmares**

Let's get the chapter started.

* * *

Jiraiya and Tsunade had been out of Uzushiogakure for an extended period of time given the important roles they needed to fulfill. That is why Naruto was ecstatic to see them return.

"Hinata, I would like for you to meet my grandparents." Naruto introduced Jiraiya and Tsunade to her for the first time. "Despite the initial impressions you may have gotten, they're both very precious to me and I spent a large part of my childhood with the two of them."

Kushina decided to explain a little bit more in regards to Naruto's childhood. "As a kid he would pester his grandparents to play with him all the time. Since Minato was so busy, he would always get his grandma to spar with him in his father's stead given how strong she is. In that regard he learned much of his taijutsu from her. As for his grandfather, the two of them journeyed across the world for several years when Naruto grew a bit older and he learned much of his sage arts under his grandfather's tutelage. That is why the two of them are very close to Naruto, just as much us, his parents."

Hinata realised the importance that that these two elderly people held in Naruto's life and as such she greeted them hastily, not wanting to make a bad first impression. "I-It's very nice to meet you both."

"You don't have to be so uptight." Tsunade gently told her with a smile. "And I'm glad we got to meet as well."

"The pleasure is all mine!" Hinata replied sincerely with all her heart. "I hope you will accept me as his wife."

"Interesting, I had quite a different impression of the Hyuga before, but you seem like a very nice girl Hinata." Tsunade gently patted her on the head. "If Naruto is happy with you, then so am I. You have my support."

"A marriage between an Uzumaki and a Hyuga…I never thought I'd see this day." Jiraiya said once he learned of the arrangements. "But perhaps it is a good thing for the clan. Not that I'm the person to give any kind of verdict on the matter."

Tsunade seemed irritated by his response. "When have you ever cared about anything to do with the Uzumaki clan?"

"I suppose that is true. As long as Naruto's happy with it, I really wouldn't bother thinking too much about the clan. It can become quite a headache if you think too much about it." He replied casually.

Tsunade now looked visibly angry at Jiraiya.

"Now now, mother, father, the two of you just returned. Let's not start this again." Minato quickly came in between his parents in an attempt to stop them. "I think everything has worked out well in regards to the Uzumaki and Hyuga thus far."

Hiashi on the other hand was interested in the identity of Minato's parents. "I knew that your mother was Tsunade, one of the greatest medics to have ever lived, and your father was the legendary Toad Sage Jiraiya. As such I would have assumed that he would have been the previous Uzumaki clan leader, but there were no such records."

"Ah yes well that's because my father never did become the clan leader." Minato was a little embarrassed to explain the situation.

Hiashi looked back at him questioningly.

"Jiraiya never could be bothered to take responsibility of the clan as its leader, so he waited long enough until Minato's grandfather could no longer hold that position and then passed that responsibility directly onto Minato at the age of 14." Tsunade explained angrily to the rest. "He then ran off to travel the world in order to do some stupid "research". The nerve of this man!"

"That's because Minato was a genius from his very childhood. Becoming the clan leader at the age of 14, getting married at 18, having his son at 20 and finally taking the position of the Kazekage at only 22, he was beset by one massive responsibility after another. Yet he handled them all with great aplomb." Jiraiya proudly placed his hand on top of his son's head in his own defence. "I'm sorry for burdening you with so many of my own duties Minato."

"You are as irresponsible as always father, coming and going as you please, but ultimately I'm still thankful to you for setting me up for whatever success I may have had." Minato replied happily. Thus the two shared a form of appreciation towards each other, one that could only come with age.

"I was wondering if the legendary Toad Sage Jiraiya is indeed an Uzumaki, why doesn't he have blonde hair like the rest of the clan?" Harumi asked curiously.

"I used to have blonde hair as well until I got old, at which point all my hair turned white." Jiraiya explained. "That's pretty common right?"

"Oh yes that's very true. How silly of me to not realise. Perhaps I'm just too used to the idea of an Uzumaki having blonde hair that the thought of old age did not cross me at all."

Jiraiya now looked at Hinata for a moment, analysing something before turning to his grandson and bringing him close so that he could whisper directly into his ears. "Let me tell you, that is one fine girl you landed yourself. She might even be Tsunade's legendary levels in certain parts if you know what I mean. You lucky son of a mother duck."

"What do you mean?" Naruto was confused as to what his grandfather was saying. "She can become a big time medic ninja someday?"

Jiraiya facepalmed, but continued whispering into his grandson's ears. "I worry about your upcoming life Naruto. You are seriously so dense about matters regarding women. I only hope this girl can rectify that issue someday, which even I couldn't teach you about despite our journeys together. Make sure you pay attention to her properly. As much as women carry men's hopes and dreams, they can also be a handful sometimes. Just take Tsunade and your mother as examples."

Naruto looked at both of his mother and grandmother carefully and even though he loved them both, he could definitely agree that both of them could be very difficult to handle if you got on their bad side. However, he knew that Hinata was different from them somehow.

"Don't worry about it pervy sage. I may not know anything about women, but I'll get Hinata to teach me every single explicit detail about herself, inside and out. Believe it!" Naruto gave a pretty straightforward and innocent reply, not realising what he had just said out loud could be interpreted in some very questionable ways, leaving a lot of people in shock.

"_He wants me to teach him every single detail about myself, inside and out." _Hinata repeated that thought before her mind started to spin around like a gyrating top, almost about to lose consciousness.

"JIRAIYA! WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU TEACHING HIM?!" Tsunade yelled while cracking her fist.

"I didn't say anything weird. I'm serious." Jiraiya came to his own defence as quickly as he could.

"Did I say anything wrong?" Naruto asked nonchalantly with not a single clue in the world.

All of his family members sighed. They understood that he unintentionally said something suggestive while in reality his intentions were innocent.

"In any case, we should get this marriage ceremony started." Minato suggested to the rest before turning to his wife. "Kushina, please hand Naruto the ring."

Kushina grabbed her son's right hand and placed on his palm a small rectangular black box.

"What's this?" He asked his mother.

"This is your wedding ring. We've had it prepared for a long time just for this day." Kushina replied. "It is customary within the Uzumaki clan to gift a ring to start the marriage ceremony. It is a symbol that Hinata, as your wife, from this day forward is part of the Uzumaki clan."

Naruto opened the box and within it was a ring with an emerald coloured stone that had the Uzumaki clan's symbol engraved on top. The stone was somewhat transparent and looked extremely rare, light refracting within it. He hadn't seen anything quite like it. Nonetheless, Naruto now held the ring within his palm resolutely.

"If you would, please do the same." Hiashi instructed his wife.

Harumi also walked up to Hinata and placed within her hand another small box. "This is the marriage ring we've had made for you as well. Once you put it on Naruto, he will also become a part of the Hyuga clan."

Hinata opened the box to find a ring with a transparent, aquamarine coloured stone with the Hyuga clan's symbol engraved on top. The light that entered the stone split up into the seven colours of the rainbow, making for a very mesmerising sight. She hadn't seen anything quite like it either. Nonetheless, Hinata held the ring within her palm as gently as possible.

Both Naruto and Hinata both stepped up towards one another, surrounded by their families. They had a light red tinge to their cheeks, but at the same time both of them felt incredibly happy inside. This happiness was unlike anything either of them had ever felt before.

Naruto raised his left towards Hinata and asked for her hand. She obliged and placed her right hand gently on top of his. The warmth from their joined hands marked the first step towards their marriage, as it was the same warmth they hoped to share for the rest of their lives.

Naruto inserted the Uzumaki's ring into Hinata's ring finger.

"Welcome to the Uzumaki clan Hinata." He greeted her with one of his largest grins.

Now it was Hinata's turn as she raised her left hand towards Naruto and he placed his right hand gently on top of it.

Hinata inserted the Hyuga's ring into Naruto's ring finger.

"Welcome to the Hyuga clan Naruto-kun." This time she greeted him with one of her most heartfelt smiles.

With the exchange complete, both Naruto and Hinata became a part of each other's clans and with them their clans united as well. Their childhood dream was finally coming true.

"CONGRATULATIONS!" Everyone in the room shouted at once as they clapped happily at the union. Minato and Hiashi both smiled proudly to see their children all grown up while Kushina and Harumi couldn't help but shed tears of joy

"Let's go outside to announce this union and complete the marriage ceremony." Minato told the rest, making Naruto, Hinata, Kushina and Harumi exit the room first in order to share the momentous occasion with the rest of their clans and guests.

But Minato stayed behind, as did Jiraiya. Hiashi also remained in the room since he had caught Minato's glance towards him just moments earlier. There was something important they needed to discuss.

"Sorry to keep you here Hyuga-san. I feel you should know this information that we're going to speak of." Minato now assumed a very serious tone as he shifted his gaze towards Jiraiya. "Father, I cannot wait any longer. I need to know. Please tell me what happened during your spying mission in Kumogakure. You went completely dark for a while and I actually got quite worried. Now you suddenly show up once I sent you a message about Naruto's wedding. What happened?"

"You were spying on Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning?" Hiashi asked inquisitively.

"Indeed, that's what I've been up to recently." Jiraiya replied. "What's up? You look like you have something on your mind."

"I just found it curious since I've also got a spy stationed in Kumogakure as well."

"I see. I'm not surprised, especially given the potential threat of Kumogakure right now. That being said, I must ask, is your spy any good?"

"Yes, he is my nephew and one of the Hyuga's most elite fighters. I fully trust him to retrieve some valuable information. Why do you ask?"

"I hope for your sake that your trust is well placed because for the very first time in my life I was caught by the enemy while carrying out my reconnaissance." Jiraiya held his head down in shame.

"WHAT?!" Both Minato and Hiashi shouted in unison.

"How can that be?" Hiashi was still in disbelief. "You are the Jiraiya, the master of stealth and espionage; the one who could never be captured. How did this happen?"

"The one who caught me was none other than Sasuke Uchiha, the son of the raikage and the heir to the Uchiha clan of Kumogakure. That child is truly dangerous, his eyes a source of nightmare. I had heard many tales of his horrific eyes while spying in Kumogakure, but one cannot truly understand how deadly they are without facing him. When he caught on to my presence I was forced into combat with him. During that encounter, just for a brief moment I was caught in his eye's genjutsu. Luckily I had the two great toad sages in battle with me and they launched a counter-genjutsu of their own, which forced Sasuke to break his genjutsu and allowed me the opportunity to make my escape before the situation escalated. But the brief moment I was caught in that Uchiha's genjutsu left me shaken for weeks, which is why I went dark. In fact I still have nightmares of that terrifying experience. I don't know if I'll ever fully recover from it. When Tsunade found out that my life was at risk, she was furious. I think she's still mad at me for it." Jiraiya explained in a sad tone before looking over to Hiashi. "That is why I hope for your nephew's sake that he is as good as you say he is. Otherwise you may have just sent him to his final mission."

Jiraiya's words sent a chill up Hiashi's spine. He had a horrible sense of foreboding that left him very uncomfortable.

"Are you okay now? Should I take you to the hospital?" Minato asked, showing tremendous concern towards his father. "I'm truly sorry for asking you to go to Kumogakure despite how dangerous that place is."

"I'm just fine." Jiraiya shrugged off his son's concern like it was nothing. "Plus I chose to go there myself and I came back in one piece, so it's all good.

"But…" Minato was about to say something but Jiraiya cut him off.

"No buts. Everything's fine. That being said there is a lot we need to discuss about what I found in Kumogakure. We need more time."

Minato nodded. "It was my initial plan to sit down with all the other clan leaders later on tonight to talk about Uzushiogakure and Kirigakure's alliance. I think we can discuss it after that. We have the whole night for that matter."

"Sounds good." Jiraiya nodded. "Now, let's get on with the marriage ceremony before they come looking for us."

Both Minato and Hiashi agreed as they all exited the room together to continue on with Naruto and Hinata's marriage.

* * *

Elsewhere in Uzushiogakure, atop its largest building, a man wearing a spiral shaped mask looked down upon the events that were currently transpiring.

"So it has finally happened – the union between Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga." Tobi whispered to himself, his eyes transforming as he watched his enemies closely.

"Don't think you're the only ones that are spying on us. As they say, keep your friends close but your enemies closer." Tobi said with a smirk that would go hidden behind his mask. "I'm watching you."

With that last statement he disappeared within a black void created by his eye.

* * *

At the same time, far away in the Land of Lightning in the Hidden Cloud Village, Kumogakure…

The leader of Kumogakure, Fugaku Uchiha, was sitting in his office in anticipation of someone important, and just on cue that person arrived. His son, Sasuke Uchiha now stood in front of his desk.

"What's the matter? You called?" Sasuke asked his father in a disengaged manner.

"My spy in Uzushiogakure has reported back and it would appear that a marriage between Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga is being negotiated. In other words, an alliance between Uzumaki and Hyuga clans and their respective villages is about to be formed."

Sasuke was now somewhat intrigued. "This is the same Hinata Hyuga and Naruto Uzumaki from ten years ago?"

"Indeed." Fugaku nodded. "She is the same girl whose eyes we tried to capture all those years ago, and he is the same boy who foiled our plans back then. However, this time there is no room for failure. Her eyes are more valuable now than ever before."

Sasuke now looked at his father with a growing interest.

"The reason why I called you here is to assign your next mission, and this mission is of the utmost importance, one that must be completed successfully." Fugaku assumed a very heavy tone in order to deliver the briefing for this highly important assignment. "Your task is to capture Hinata Hyuga and extract her Ascendant Byakugan. I'm allocating this mission an S-Rank. In other words we're expecting a large scale conflict to break out in the wake of this mission's completion. But given our ulterior motives, such an outcome is inevitable regardless. Therefore, use any means necessary. All resources are open for use under your discretion. Success is an absolute must. Achieve it and we will have the upper hand from the very beginning. I believe you of all people will be able to get it done, for you are arguably the strongest shinobi under my command. Hence I've chosen you for this critical mission."

Sasuke had a very slight but noticeable smile on his face. "Finally…perhaps a mission worthy of my time. I shall get it done."

"I know you will, but remember that Naruto Uzumaki will once again be the largest obstacle in our path, even more so now than he was before. He will do his very best to protect his wife. Therefore, do be prepared to deal with him as well besides your direct target. I believe both of them will prove to be challenging."

"I welcome Naruto Uzumaki's involvement in this so that Hinata Hyuga can feel safe, because I want to turn the very thing that makes her feel safe to her final downfall. Naruto Uzumaki will be the one who will ultimately lead me to Hinata Hyuga. I will make it as such…" Sasuke's smile morphed into a truly sadistic one as he started to formulate some highly nefarious plans within his mind.

"Always thinking outside the box, your mind is as twisted as ever. I expect to see a favourable outcome, but that goes without saying for you. In any case, I've prepared a small lead to get you started." Fugaku snapped his fingers and on cue several high ranking ninjas under his command brought in a broken and chained up man into the room and pushed him into the ground. "We found a spy from Kirigakure sneaking around trying to gather intel. A little research has unveiled that he is Neji Hyuga, the cousin of Hinata Hyuga. I think you may be able extract some information out of him, so I'll leave the interrogation up to you. You seem to enjoy it quite a bit, not to mention you're very effective at it."

"You'll get nothing out of me. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!" Even though Neji could barely even move, he was still adamant in his stance of defending his village's secrets.

Sasuke now had a sinister smile on his face. "I'm going to take my time forcefully prying out every bit of information you hold . So then, why don't you tell me everything you know about Hinata Hyuga?"

"I won't tell you ANYTHING!" Neji shouted in defiance even in his highly vulnerable state.

"That is what they all say, until I break their minds beyond repair." Sasuke's smile only got wider and wider. He was truly starting to enjoy watching his next victim resist. He grabbed Neji by the collar and brought his face up so that they were now both in eye contact.

"GENJUTSU: MANGEKYOU SHARINGAN!" Sasuke's eyes, the Sharingan, which consisted of three interconnected circles with a black pupil at the centre, now changed to show a very complex star-like pattern, and using it he trapped Neji inside the illusionary world created within these highly advanced eyes, a world that was shrouded in darkness and despair. "Now then, let us begin this nightmare that never ends."

* * *

If you equate marriage to happily ever after then this story will change that outlook. Naruto and Hinata's trials and tribulations are only just beginning.

The Uchiha clan and their powers will also have their own back story here that is separate from canon, just like most other things. That being said their eyes have been reworked and are more genjutsu focused. Sasuke in particular will play a major role throughout. I mean where would a story be without antagonists?

From last time it was awesome to see all the guesses about Naruto's relationship with Jiraiya and Tsunade. **YamiChaos27, Ayrmed, grimreaper40045, NaruHinaRyu, , DarkManta, Otaku of Anime, RC 1138 **and** ENavarro1 **all guessed it correctly. Since we are on this topic, I wanted to give a quick timeline of the generations:

Naruto was born when Minato was 20 years old. Since Naruto is now 19, Minato is 39. In this story Jiraiya and Tsunade are in their early 60s, so Minato was born when they were in their early 20s.

Other than that I hope to see you all next time where the marriage is finally complete. Before I go I have to get this out of my chest though. The person from last time who used the username **Nyaruto **with a picture of a fat yellow cat...DARN YOU! Because of you I now constantly have the urge to type in "Nyaruto" in place of "Naruto" all the time. So if you notice that mistake you know who to blame. That is all. PEACE!


	13. Union & Premonition

**Union &amp; Premonition**

* * *

With the marriage ceremony between Naruto and Hinata just being completed, the two of them stood holding hands in the middle of the Uzumaki's courtyard as husband and wife for the very first time, surrounded by all of their family members and guests. It was a truly special moment for both of them, in which they finally stood united as one.

Minato brought everyone's attention to himself so as to address them with a short yet important message. "Thank you for all of your attention. I won't take too much of your time. I just have a few words to say. I'm grateful to all of you for being in attendance tonight at the marriage between the scions of the Uzumaki and Hyuga clan, Naruto Uzumaki and Hyuga Hinata. Not too long age such a concept would have been unimaginable given the highly polarizing history between our clans, but it is our hope that with this union we can put aside our differences and work towards a peaceful future."

"I would also like to voice my agreement with the Kazekage's sentiment." Hiashi now addressed the audience. "While we understand that this alliance may not be easy for everyone to accept outright given our past, but please consider this the very first step towards change. Our children have chosen to tread a very different path than their ancestors, one that leads to unity between not only the Uzumaki and Hyuga clans, but also Kirigakure and Uzushiogakure. And ultimately such a harmonious solution is the best course of action. That is why they have our support and we sincerely hope that all of you will also take this first step forward towards a better future."

Both Minato and Hiashi as the respective leaders of their villages finished their speeches, leading to an applause from the audience, even though some of it was simply a courtesy at best.

"Now that the formalities are over, please join us to celebrate this monumental occasion." Minato said happily to the rest before turning to several of his clan members. "Bring in the first item of the night. It is imperative we start off large with the sweets."

To everyone's awe, about ten people carried in a massive rectangular white box into the compound and placed it right in the middle of the courtyard. Opening the top lid revealed an enormous brown fish shaped cake with a sweet red bean paste filling, one that was the size of a large room. The sheer size of the cake was unlike anything anyone had ever seen before.

"What in the actual frig is that?" Naruto asked his father in utter bewilderment.

"That my son is a custom made Taiyaki just for this occasion. It is the largest piece of baked product ever created in Uzushiogakure, requiring the combined effort of every single confectionery in the village. It is only fitting to have such a large scale sweet to celebrate a momentous occasion of this calibre." Minato now handed his son a rather large knife and addressed both him and his new wife. "Enough waiting. Use this to make the first cut into the cake together and start off the celebrations for your marriage."

Naruto and Hinata held the knife together, but neither of them knew where to begin given the giant and odd shape of the cake. Even though they knew that Taiyaki was a signature and well known food product of Uzushiogakure, they both wondered why it couldn't have been something more normal in form and size.

"Should we go for the face?" Naruto asked Hinata in a confused tone. "Or perhaps one of the fins maybe? One of those should be a bit more manageable."

"Y-Yeah, I think the tail in particular might be the best place to start." She replied in an equally confused tone.

"Alright then, let's go for it." Naruto said while taking a step back to stand behind Hinata and grasp both of her hands firmly, which were holding onto the rather heavy knife.

Hinata could feel Naruto press up to her from behind so as to get a better grip on the knife. The pleasant warmth from his body made her temporarily lose focus of their current objective before Naruto broke her out of her little daze.

"What's the matter Hinata?" He whispered directly into her ears given their close proximity.

His words sent shivers down Hinata's spine, making her almost lose control of her nervous system and drop the knife. Luckily Naruto was there to keep a firm grasp over her hands. But then again he was the reason for her current state in the first place.

"I-It's not fair…"

"What's not fair?" Naruto asked back casually.

"N-Nothing!" Hinata realised that they were in the presence of a lot of people and didn't want to embarrass herself any further. "Let's do this."

Thus they both used the knife to cut two small pieces from the giant fish's tail and fed it to one another while everyone in the compound clapped for the occasion. There was a little bit of paste stuck to Naruto's cheek which Hinata promptly wiped up with her finger and ate. The gesture was small but it made Naruto's heart flutter nonetheless.

Both of them felt a bit shy being in the spotlight, but at the same time it was also a moment of joy. Their parents were next in being fed the Taiyaki by their respective children.

"This is great and all but now we need to think of a way of proportioning it to serve to the rest of the guests." Kushina said to her family. "This might prove a little difficult."

"Don't worry mom. I know what to do." Naruto replied with an idea. "My wind blades should do the trick."

In just a split second Naruto brought from above a barrage of small wind blades that sliced the cake into equal slices fit for consumption. The high level precision of the technique left a lot of people in awe.

"Good job son." Minato complimented, feeling proud of his son's skill. "Alright then everyone, please help yourselves to some sweets before we start off with the dinner."

Thus everyone got to try out a part of the largest cake they had ever seen in their lives. It was so large in fact that there was enough for second and even third servings if anyone wanted to indulge. Suffice to say Naruto's family, the organisers of the event, did not slack when it came to serving their guests in the grandest manner possible.

Once the cake was eaten, it was time to start the dinner for the night. Since there were too many people to fit into one room, several rooms were prepared for food to be served to the guests. The main dining room was also changed to have small kotatsus set up in place of the usual giant table so that many groups of people could be served at once.

Naruto, Hinata, Harumi and Kushina sat together at one of the kotatsus while Hiashi and Minato along with several other clan leaders sat at another, having their own political discussions. This allowed Naruto and Hinata to relax somewhat after all the formal conversations they had earlier with various guests that wanted to know a bit more about them. In the presence of their mothers however, they could be their usual selves and enjoy their meal together.

"This has turned out to be quite a hectic day for you two huh?" Kushina asked both her son and his wife.

"Yeah…it's tiring. I'm just happy I finally get to eat some food in peace." Naruto replied as he dug into his food with great excitement.

"Well, that's how marriages tend to be within clans." Harumi explained. "It is as much a formal occasion that allows clans to really get to know one another. In your case it's more like two villages as opposed to just two clans. So it is even more hectic."

"True. I'm glad everything has worked out fine so far and nothing has gone horribly wrong between the Hyuga and the Uzumaki." Kushina added. "Probably because Hinata stopped the little argument earlier before it could get out of hand."

Her last statement made Hinata freeze up for a second and stop chewing her food.

"Don't worry about it Hinata. We know about your other personality and accepted you despite of it. So there is nothing to be concerned about." Kushina clarified sympathetically. "In any case, from here on out I'm leaving my son in your care. He is a bit dense when it comes to women and not very good at understanding subtlety, so you should spell your message out directly to him."

Hinata nodded with a light blush on her cheeks.

"Hey, what does that even mean?" Naruto gave his mother an annoyed look. "I'm pretty good at understanding small details."

"Oh yeah?" Kushina only laughed in response. "I suppose I can tell you now since you're married, but you actually had quite a few female admirers to say the least. In fact, given that you were also the heir to the Uzumaki clan, we constantly received invitations for marriage meetings from various parties and clans. We rejected them all since you really did not like it whenever we talked about such matters with you. In fact, this invitation from the Hyuga is the only time where we truly pushed for you to attend. Even then you were hesitant at first. Aren't you happy that you did end up going in the end?"

"Well that's because I really only had one girl in my mind and the promise I made to her long ago. I didn't want to get involved with anyone else. So I'd much rather you rejected them from the get to than give false hopes." Naruto explained.

"You never told us that you already had a girl in your mind, but now it makes sense. I suppose in a miraculous twist of fate that girl turned out to be the daughter of the Hyuga clan leader and the two of you got to reunite after all these years. So it worked out in the end." Kushina now turned her attention to her new daughter-in-law. "How about you Hinata? I'm sure given your status within the Hyuga being similar to Naruto's you must have also received a lot of proposals from other parties. I can imagine a lot of people wanting to form an alliance with a powerful clan such as the Hyuga."

The sudden question reminded Hinata of one particular occasion that left her temporarily speechless. She didn't know how to describe it. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, her mother came to her rescue.

"There was actually only one time where we did receive a marriage proposal between the heir to the Hozuki clan and Hinata. In the end, it turned out ugly for the Hozuki to say the least."

"What happened?" Both Naruto and Kushina asked out of curiosity.

"The proposal was quite high profile given that the Hozuki clan are one of the most well-known and prominent clans in Kirigakure. The elders were the ones who set it up and they kept pestering Hiashi about it until he got fed up and asked Hinata to attend the meeting just to reject the other party. Of course Hinata only cared about Naruto and thus had no interest in even attending, but since she didn't want to make her relationship with the rest of her clan any worse, she at least decided to attend so as not to shame them after setting up the meeting. Unfortunately, the heir to the Hozuki clan turned out to be an arrogant young man and seemed to have his eyes set on Hinata. He tried to push the marriage very hard despite being rejected, becoming forceful to prove his strength and status. Hiashi was furious and was about to put him in his place, but the worst came to pass as Hinata had activated her Byakugan and brought out her other self. I still remember the aftermath of the short encounter between her and the Hozuki kid."

**Flashback beginning – 1 year ago**

Alter Hinata looked down upon the heir of the Hozuki clan with her Byakugan active and a foot firmly placed on his back, leaving him immobilised on the ground from the short yet brutal beating he took in the hands of Hinata.

"A weakling such as yourself even conceiving the idea of ever standing beside me is unfathomable. KNOW YOUR PLACE!"

The heir of the Hozuki conceded defeat, but he still had one last question. "If I, one of the best Kirigakure has to offer, am not good enough, then who is?"

Alter Hinata thought for a second before visualizing exactly the type of person she could come to appreciate.

"A man whose presence alone is able to send shivers down my spine. I would only ever acknowledge such a person as being worthy of standing beside me." Hinata kicked the Hozuki's heir to the side and looked up menacingly at the rest of his clan that were present. "If your heir is this weak, then I could singlehandedly BREAK your entire clan in half. So I'll give you ten seconds. Get lost this instant and never show your face in front of me again. Then I'll pretend none of this ever happened. NOW SPLIT!"

She didn't need to finish her statement before the Hozuki clan scrambled out of the Hyuga compound with whatever little integrity they had left.

**Flashback end – Present Day**

"After that event we never got any more proposals for Hinata's hand ever again." Harumi told the two Uzumaki with a wry smile.

"I think I can see why." Kushina replied with a wry smile as well.

Harumi now diverted her attention towards her son-in-law. "Actually I've been curious. Since you talked to Hinata's other self and got her to agree to the marriage, then that must mean that you really impressed her with your strength. Was your presence enough to leave her shivering?"

Hinata blushed at her mother's enquiry. "O-Okaa-sama…what are you a-asking?"

Naruto however took the question in a matter of fact kind of way, contemplating hard on the answer. "Hmmm…I'm not sure. I do know however that she was incredibly strong, so much so that when she so much as stared at me with her Ascendant Byakugan it was impossible for me to remain standing. So I had to temporarily become a Sage to confront her."

"You went into sage mode? She was that powerful?" Kushina asked out of surprise. "You almost never have to use your sage abilities under normal circumstances. I suppose that explained the sudden change in weather and the ground shaking earlier."

"I see, so the grandson of the toad sage is a sage himself. It all makes sense." Harumi nodded her head in appreciation. "I suppose Hinata may have finally met her match, someone who is stronger than even her."

"No not really." Naruto rejected her proposition. "I will admit that it is very difficult to determine which of us is stronger without actually having a proper battle. Not to mention the two of us merely stood in each other's presence staring at one another. Despite these facts I can tell just from my Sage's intuition that if me and Hinata were to collide seriously, it would end in a stalemate. Neither of us would win. But then again it is also important to note that I didn't really use even a significant fraction of the skills available in my arsenal, and I'm sure she is capable of much more than what I saw or felt, so making any kind of comparison between the two of us at this stage is probably a futile effort."

"That's a very mature response." Harumi replied happily. "A lot of men would probably try to show their bravado and assert their strength, but you are able to openly acknowledge the power of your adversary. That is admirable."

"I think you're giving me too much undue credit. I was just telling the truth. What is truly admirable to me however is Hinata's power. There is nothing more I enjoy than a strong challenge. It allows me to hone my skills even further."

"I'm sure she feels the same way. Isn't that right Hinata?" Harumi asked her daughter with a smile.

Hinata nodded empathetically, feeling glad that even her other self acknowledged Naruto not only for his strength, but also for his kindness.

As the party enjoyed their dinner and talked more about their past, something was brewing outside of Uzushiogakure.

An orange coloured fox stood a distance away from the gate of Uzushiogakure, looking intently at the entranceway. The fox was normal in size apart from its tail, which was several times in length compared to its body. Apart from its large tail there was very little distinctive about the fox from looks alone.

"A decade ago their meeting within the hidden leaf forest which I orchestrated has come to fruition. The union between Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga has finally happened. The wait was very much worth it." The fox said to itself. The fact that it could talk was definitely one of its unique features, something that would go unnoticed by nearly everyone. "After centuries the two clans have united once again. Therefore, the time has finally arrived for me to take action."

With that last statement the fox gave a thunderous howl that tore through Uzushiogakure, but only Naruto and Hinata were able to hear that howl, making them both cover their ears in retaliation.

Little did they know that the call they just heard would change their lives forever.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I suppose I'll answer a few questions, so let's get started:

**Ghost:** Naruto won't get any special eyes. He has his own set of powers. On a side note I should mention that there are only two eyes in this story, Byakugan and Sharingan. But I've changed their powers quite a bit from how you may know them. As you've seen already the Byakugan has been upgraded greatly and given more power so that it can match up to the other bloodlines.

**nthabiseng nxumalo.5:** Sakura will show up later on in the story. In fact she is from an important clan. Here's something: Naruto-Uzumaki, Hinata-Hyuga, Sasuke-Uchiha, Sakura-? I wonder if anyone can already guess what clan she is from.

**ENavvaro1:** Amegakure and Nagato will be featured prominently later on in the story, but in ways you may not expect.

**AncientDoom:** Haku and his clan don't really exist here because...well you'll see why. I won't ruin it now.

**dbtiger63:** I appreciate your points. Jiraiya could have stayed and fought Sasuke if he wanted to (and given him a challenge), but he would be doing so right in the middle of Kumo in the enemy territory, at a great disadvantage. Plus his job was to spy for information, not engage the enemy. So he simply escaped with the information he found rather than risking his life for no reason. Also it is important to note that Jiraiya is 60+ years of age here, so he's no longer in his prime as opposed to the younger heirs such as Naruto and Sasuke. That being said the Uchiha need to be strong so that they can face up to the Uzumaki and the Hyuga. Over time there will be a lot of twists and turns as well.

I hope some of those sneak peaks give more for you to look forward to. I would also like to thank everyone else who left some really nice reviews. I'm thankful for it all. Until next time, be well :)


	14. Shock & Awe

**Shock &amp; Awe**

* * *

The orange fox made sure that its howl reached the young Uzumaki and Hyuga, but only them alone.

"Just according to keikaku." The fox said with an evil smile. [A/N: Keikaku means plan.]

"MOOOOOOOOM THERE'S A TALKING FOX OVER THERE!" A young child that was passing by with his family overheard the little animal speak its last line.

"Where?" The mother asked somewhat curiously.

"Over there." The boy pointed in the direction of where he last saw the talking critter but there was nothing there anymore.

"I don't see anything."

"But it was there just a second ago." The boy replied in a confused tone.

"Did you get a sugar rush again? I knew your father shouldn't have bought you all those candies. Come on, let's go home." She grabbed her son's hand and dragged him along to the village as he still tried to make sense of exactly what he had just seen.

"_DARN KIDS, always being so observant."_ The fox thought angrily in its mind while hiding in the bushes. _"I should be careful to keep a low profile until the time is right."_

**Back in the Uzumaki compound…**

Both Naruto and Hinata felt a headache from the loud noise they heard, causing them both to hold their foreheads simultaneously.

"What's the matter?" Their mothers asked out of concern.

"Nothing really…I think I just heard some kind of noise." Naruto replied, feeling a little better.

"Y-Yeah…I heard something too." Hinata added.

"That's weird, I didn't hear anything." Kushina now looked at Harumi. "Did you?"

"No, I didn't. That's odd."

"I-It's nothing really." Hinata said as sh turned towards her mother-in-law and eyed her eagerly. "P-Please continue your story from earlier."

"What was I saying again? Oh yeah, about Naruto's eating habits when he was a kid right?"

"Is this really necessary for you to know?" Naruto asked Hinata hesitantly. "This was the time when I was a little kid. I don't even remember much of it."

She gave him a very deadly look in return, one that he would have expected from her other personality. "YES! As your wife I must know these things."

"O-Okay…no worries Hinata. I can tell you as much as you like." Even Kushina was a bit taken aback by the boldness of shy Hinata when it came to Naruto. "Alright, let's see…"

**Flashback Beginning – 15 years ago.**

A 4 year old Naruto was sitting in a baby's feeding chair with a plastic spoon on one hand and a plastic fork on another, bashing his hands continuously against the table.

A teenage Uzumaki girl sat next to Naruto and was trying to feed him some vegetable soup, but Naruto was not going to have any of it.

"Waka (Young Master), please have this soup." The girl begged Naruto with all her heart. "You need to eat healthy food so that you can grow strong."

"NO! I don't want that stuff. GIMME RAMEN!" He shouted rebelliously while continuing to bang on the table.

"Please waka, I'm begging you, finish this bowl. If you do I'll play with you for the rest of the day."

"You will?" Naruto looked at her with hopeful eyes.

"Of course! Have I ever lied to you?" She asked him with puppy dog eyes and slipped a spoonful of soup into his mouth.

"BAAAAAH, DISGUSTING!" Naruto spat out the mouthful of soup on to the ground. "I DON'T WANT TO EAT THIS!"

The girl was at an impasse. She didn't know what to do as she cleaned up after the mess Naruto just made. As she looked at the time she realised that it was almost time for Naruto's mother to return. For his own sake she was desperate to get him to eat the food.

"Kushina-sama will get angry if you don't finish this bowl by the time she gets back." She reminded him frantically knowing that there was not much time left.

"I WON'T EAT THIS! GIMME RAMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!" He screamed at the top of his lungs.

Before the Uzumaki girl could try to persuade Naruto any further she felt a threatening presence at the door. It was already too late.

"What did you just say?" Kushina glared at her son as she walked towards him.

The look on his mother's eyes meant only bad things for Naruto, but he was going to remain true to his will. He wasn't going to give in to his mother's whims any more. He was going to make a stand.

"It is as I said. I won't eat what you want me to eat anymore. I've had enough. IT'S A SOUP DE TART!" Naruto shouted at his mother while challengingly pointing at her with his spoon.

"You mean a coup d'etat…" The Uzumaki girl corrected Naruto, but that was the least of his concerns right now. His mother was furious.

"You will eat the food right?" Kushina asked in a ghastly tone, the air around her almost getting cold at the same time.

"I won't." Naruto replied, feeling a chill run up his spine that shook his willpower.

"You WILL eat the food right?" Kushina asked once again, this time her eyes emitting a faint red glow and her facial expression taking a hideous turn.

"I w-w-w-w-won't…" Naruto's body was now shaking as was his voice, but he still stood defiant.

"YOU WILL EAT THIS FOOD RIGHT?" Kushina asked one final time with her hands clenched tight and her dark red hair floating around haphazardly in the air, making her resemble a monster pulled straight out of a fairy tale.

"YES I'LL EAT! I'LL EAT ALL OF IT!" Naruto wet his diapers in fear, but that was of minor consequence to him at this point as he started chugging down the soup like his life depended on it.

"Good boy." Kushina complimented her son while observing him finish his meal.

This was the way Naruto grew strong by eating healthy food under the watchful eyes of his mother.

**Flashback End – Present day.**

"So that's how I used to get him to comply." Kushina told Hinata with a smile. "Naruto was never exactly the most obedient kid to begin with. So I had to use some forceful measures."

Hinata nodded seriously.

"MOM WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU TELLING HER!? Why was the fact that I wet my pants even worth mentioning?" Naruto now looked over to his wife. "And why are you even nodding? This is so embarrassing having you find out about all this. GAAAAH!" He scrambled his hair in shame.

Harumi couldn't stop giggling at the exchange between the three.

"Leaving all the stories aside, I think you two should go and properly introduce yourselves to each other's clans." Kushina suggested. "For the two clans to eventually accept each other, they have to first fully appreciate your union."

"I wholeheartedly agree." Harumi concurred. "As some of the most important members of your respective clans, please take this opportunity to get to know both clans."

Naruto and Hinata looked at each other and nodded. They realised it was a good idea and thus got up from their seats to talk to their clan members seated around the room in two distinct groups.

**First was the Hyuga clan.**

Upon seeing Naruto and Hinata they all stood up at once to confront them.

"A-Ano…p-please don't start a fight again. I'd like for a-all of you to get to k-know Naruto-kun because from now he is a part of us." Hinata told her clan in a shaky voice.

The Hyuga looked at Naruto and still couldn't quite believe what had just happened. The concept of an Uzumaki becoming part of the Hyuga clan was preposterous; let alone the heir to the Uzumaki clan. But at the same time they looked back at Hinata and realised that none of them could have much of a say in the matter. If they angered her again and brought out her other self for a second time in one day, having a hand broken would be the least of their concerns. So there really was not much choice. Either accept the Uzumaki or get thrown out of the clan, or worse have it be completely disbanded. Knowing Hinata it could be much worse.

Naruto was the first to speak.

"Look, I get it. There's no need to sugar coat things here. You guys don't trust me and honestly I don't trust you either. There's too much that's happened between us to just forget all of it overnight. However, for Hinata's sake I'm willing to give it a shot to change the status quo. I think I have come to realise from my parents and Hinata that a peaceful solution truly is the best solution, which can require overlooking our past. If Hinata herself is trying to mend the rift between herself and her clan despite everything you put her through during her childhood, then I will respect that wish of hers. How about it?" Naruto extended his hand towards the Hyuga to display his solidarity.

There was a moment of silence as the Hyuga looked towards each other not knowing what to do, until one of them shook Naruto's hand. It was the same man whose hand Hinata had broken earlier in the evening. He was now wearing a cast on the broken hand but he shook Naruto's hand with his other good one.

"If Hinata-sama has chosen to put her trust in you then let us give it a try indeed, this union that she so wishes to establish." He replied. "We shall follow her will."

The rest of the Hyuga all seemed to be nodding in a nervous way. They seemed to be very wary of Hinata at the moment.

"Wow I didn't quite expect you of all people to say that." Naruto was truly surprised by the person that shook his hand. "And I'll be honest; I'm still annoyed by what you said to my clan members. But at the same time I do feel bad for you to have your hand broken like that."

"You don't need to feel sorry for me at all. It is an HONOR to have my hand broken my Hinata-sama!"

Naruto had a baffled look on his face as he glanced sideways at Hinata who was fidgeting around feeling very uncomfortable after her clan member's statement.

1

"Well…if that's how you feel…what the heck? Let's just work towards a better future." Naruto said to the rest of the Hyuga who all appeared to nod their agreement at him hesitantly.

**Second was the Uzumaki clan.**

Both Naruto and Hinata now stood in front of the Uzumaki clan members, but all of them looked suspiciously at Hinata which made her feel even more uncomfortable than before.

"Guys, what's with those looks?" Naruto asked. "Is that any way to treat a new member of the clan?"

"Naruto we'll be straightforward here, she's dangerous." One of the Uzumaki directed all of their combined concerns at him. "Did you see what she did to her own clan member? She's ruthless. How can you even trust her?"

"Hinata's had her own problems with her clan since childhood, but despite that she's trying to make things better. We should be giving her a warm welcome to the Uzumaki clan and show her how our bonds are what make us who we are." Naruto explained to his clan.

"We're only looking out for you young master because we want you to be happy, just as you've always done the same for us." Another older Uzumaki woman replied to Naruto. "We get that you've liked her since you were a kid but we really have to ask if your crush on her has been blinding your better judgement."

"She's right in asking that question." Someone agreed as well and others were starting to join in on the cynicism.

Naruto felt bad after hearing his clan's opinions, but he felt worse for Hinata who looked like she was on the verge of crying.

"Please everyone; don't say such mean things to Naruto-niisama! Can't you see you're hurting him on what is supposed to be one of the happiest days of his life?" Chihiro, the girl from earlier who was involved in the incident with the Hyuga decided to speak out even though she was usually of meek disposition. "I always thought that the strength of our clan lied in the trust between all of its members, but if we can't even believe in Naruto-niisama's choice then what exactly is left of our unity? He has always done his best to support all of us, so it's time we supported him back. She's the girl Naruto-niisama has chosen, so I'll believe in her too."

Chihiro extended her hand towards Hinata with a smile, welcoming her to the Uzumaki clan. Hinata took her hand in return, feeling both a sense of gratitude and relief.

Seeing Chihiro's bold move and hearing her reminder of the core philosophy of the Uzumaki clan, the other members were starting to reflect on what they said and felt. Some of them were even starting to change their opinions.

"The girl's absolutely right." Someone new from the back addressed the rest, causing everyone to turn around to look at her.

"KARIN!" Naruto shouted at the newcomer, a girl with dark red hair similar to his mother and glasses. "You actually came by yourself. I was about to get down there and drag your ass out in a bit if you decided not to show up you hikikomori."

"Who are you calling a hikikomori? Just after I showed my support to you as well." Karin replied angrily. "You aren't much be-"

Before she could finish, Naruto grabbed Hinata and presented her in front of Karin.

"Sorry what were you about to say?" Naruto asked her with a cynical smirk on his face. "Do you see this girl? Do you realise how crazy hot she is? Yeah, she's my wife. By your definition I am now one of the "winners" in life."

Karin bit her lip in annoyance. There wasn't a comeback she could come up with.

Hinata's face on the other hand lit up like fireworks. Naruto just said some very direct things without much hesitation that she could only assume were praise.

"Oh my, how bold!" Harumi exclaimed in surprise. "Who's that new girl? Naruto seems to know her quite well."

"That's Karin, Naruto's cousin." Kushina answered. "She is my older brother, the Namikaze clan leader's daughter. Her mother is also an Uzumaki, so Karin pretty much has the same lineages as Naruto. They've known each other since childhood and played together. They get along…I think."

"That doesn't sound too convincing." Harumi didn't feel much strength behind Kushina's last statement.

"The reason why I'm late is because I've taking care of these two in your stead since you decided to get married all of a sudden." Karin explained to Naruto and took a step to the side, clearing the path for some new individuals to arrive at the scene.

Two children with blonde hair, one boy and one girl both about one and a half year of age dashed straight at Naruto.

"Yuhi! Nagato!" Naruto outstretched his arms and called out to them happily.

"DADDY!" The little girl screamed at the top of her lungs and jumped at Naruto, climbing up his body until she sat firmly on his shoulders.

The little boy however jumped up only to punch him in the stomach.

Naruto pretended to have been affected by the hit and dropped on to his knees, grasping the boy in a hug.

"Wow your punch is getting stronger and stronger Nagato. At this rate I'll actually have to take you seriously." He complimented while rubbing his head. "But always challenging me to a fight, why can't you be a bit more like your sister?"

Just at that moment Naruto felt Yuhi start chewing on a lock his hair.

"Scratch that, don't' be like her. She's trying to eat my hair again. Darn I haven't realised but your teeth have gotten really strong." Naruto grabbed a little bit of the Taiyaki cake from before and held it on top of his head. "My hair is not edible. Try eating this instead."

Yuhi took a bite out of it but instantly spit it out and went back to chewing on Naruto's hair.

At the same time Naruto started to feel a little wet sensation on his shoulder and he instantly realised what was happening.

"AAAAHHHH NOOOOO, NOT ON THE CLAN LEADER'S HAORI!" Naruto quickly brought Yuhi down from his shoulder and saw that she had wet her pants. He had no choice but to hurriedly take off the storied jacket he was wearing and wrap it around her pants as a makeshift diaper to stop the floor from getting wet.

"I can't believe it, this beautiful haori that I've always dreamed of wearing one day now being used as a diaper." He said looking at Yuhi with tears in his eyes, who only smiled back at him in return. "At least feel a little bit of regret."

Naruto now shifted his gaze over to Karin with anger evident on his face. "And you. Why the heck didn't you make her wear a diaper? Now look at what happened."

"I forgot…but it serves you right for calling me names earlier." Karin couldn't stop laughing in return.

"Darn it, what the heck? Let's get you changed for now." Naruto picked up Yuhi and placed her over his shoulder. He grabbed Nagato as well and carried him on one hand. "You're coming with me as well. If she went then it's clear you're about to go as well. The two of you have a tendency of doing things in tandem. I'll be back in a bit."

Thus he ran out of the room with the two children at hand.

The Hyuga clan were in shock from what they just witnessed. Almost the entire room had gone silent. There were no words. Hinata didn't even know what to think.

It didn't take long before Naruto was back in the room again with the kids given that some of his other clan members had also rushed after him to help.

"Sorry for having to step out for a bit." He apologised to Hinata while sitting back at the kotatsu next to her along with the kids.

Hinata was about to say something but Nagato pointed his finger at her.

"Mommy." He said as he looked from her to Naruto.

Naruto along with all the rest of the Uzumaki were shocked at the word they heard from the little boy. They had never heard him call anyone that.

Naruto smiled back at him in response. "Why not? I suppose since she's my wife now she can be your mommy."

Hearing Naruto's approval and appearing as though he clearly understood it, Nagato walked up to Hinata and happily sat on her lap, leaning against her.

Words would not come out of Hinata's mouth right now, but her mind was overflowing with questions. _"HOW DID I SUDDENLY BECOME A MOTHER? WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON? AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, WHO ARE THESE KIDS?"_

* * *

I would love to see if you guys can guess the correct answer to what is going on here. In fact, as a little hint, the mother of those children was actually in this chapter. As always, I will give mad props next chapter to those who get closest to the answer. This should be interesting.

Wow, I do have to say though, this feels like a throwback to the old days. Perhaps those who have been with me for a long time will understand. But the real question is whether or not this is foreshadowing something bigger. I suppose over time you'll find out.

Oh and there was also a small little reference to another anime in this chapter. I'll be really impressed if anyone picked it up because I always found the particular line I referenced hilarious.

Other than that I hope to see you all next time :)


	15. The First Night: Outer

**The First Night: Outer**

Today's title should tell you what to expect this chapter.

* * *

"Don't just dump a child on to your new wife and tell her that she can be his mother from now on. That's ground for misunderstandings right there." Karin told Naruto in an angry tone before turning to Hinata more sympathetically. "He's a bit stupid when it comes to handling these kinds of intricate situations with women but rest assured that these children are not actually his. They are orphans he's been taking care of."

"Eh?" Hinata was a bit surprised by that piece of information.

"TELL HER!" Karin shouted at Naruto while karate chopping him on the head.

"OUCH! I would have anyway. No need to abuse me." Naruto replied to his cousin before looking over at Hinata. "You remember the babysitter mom mentioned in that story just now? These two hellions are her children. Unfortunately she died while giving birth to them. It was truly tragic since she was like an elder sister who always took care of me when I was a child myself. Plus the father of these children did not take the news of his wife dying well. He lost something truly precious and ended up going insane, leading to his death shortly after. Therefore the Uzumaki clan has been looking after the children since their birth and given the fact that their mother took such good care of me alongside my own mom when I was younger, I've been spending a lot of my free time taking care of them myself. So much so that Yuhi here ended up calling me daddy. But Nagato never called anyone his mommy or daddy, until today of course. He's a bit reserved, but it was really surprising hearing him call you mommy. I guess he likes you."

Hinata finally understood what was going on. This was Naruto after all. He was too kind to allow the people around him to suffer. That would be especially true for orphans. He was giving them the love and kindness that they missed out on from their parents.

This was not much different from how Naruto helped her in the past as well. He had jumped in between her and the enemy, putting his own life on the line for her sake. That was the type of person Naruto was and this was the reason why his clansmen appreciated him so much. Helping the people he cared for was his true source of power, which was heroic in nature.

Hinata couldn't help but appreciate Naruto for his almost never ending kindness. It was the reason why she fell in love with him in the first place and she never wanted him to lose that trait of his. She would help him in whatever way she could in that regard.

Thus she got to know the kids a lot more throughout the night and bonded with the Uzumaki clan through them and Naruto. Time flew by until dinner as well as the rest of the marriage festivities and formalities came to an end. Once most of the guests had left, Hinata was shown by Chihiro to Naruto's room so that she could call in for the night. Naruto would be there with her shortly as well once he had taken care of some remaining business.

Upon entering Naruto's room Hinata looked around curiously, focusing on every minor detail. The sight, the smell, the sound, she took in the whole atmosphere with great interest.

The room itself had a very Naruto feel to it. It made her feel just as comfortable as her own room despite the differences between the two abodes. The first major difference was the smell, or lack thereof. Hinata always liked to keep her room scented with various flower flavored perfumes. The second big difference was the lack of decorations. The room had everything one would require to live, and a poster of a bowl of ramen on one corner, but that was about it. Hinata liked to customise her room with cute items to make it look more appealing, but perhaps that was more of a feminine thing which you couldn't expect from a male.

Leaving the differences aside Hinata focused more on the specifics. The room was very spacious with ample space to walk around even after all the items were set in place. On one corner, right next to the window was a rather big bed which would easily be able to accommodate the two of them. A curtain was currently closing the view out of the window and a very comfy looking cotton blanket was folded up at the legs of the bed, opposite to which on the other side were two pillows. The bed was beckoning for the tired and weary body to lie down upon it and experience relief. Hinata just couldn't resist that urge and jumped in, putting the thick blanket over her. The mattress was so soft that her body dug right into it and the warmth from the blanket almost made her doze off into deep sleep within seconds due to the long day she had, only to be stopped by the stray thoughts that popped into her mind.

"_This is where Naruto-kun sleeps everyday."_ That one thought made her blush lightly, but the next one almost made her mind spin. _"This is where the two of us will sleep tonight."_

Her innocent mind was sent into chaos by the resultant outcomes that would derive from such a situation.

"_What am I thinking? What am I thinking? What am I thinking?"_ She shouted within her brain as she rolled around in the bed from one side to the other.

It took her a few seconds to realise the huge mess she had made and instantly jumped up to fix the bed. Naruto would be coming back soon. She couldn't lie down yet, let alone fall asleep. This was going to be their first night together.

Therefore Hinata resumed checking out the rest of the room. The wardrobe and chest of drawers were standard fair. She took a quick peak inside them to find all of Naruto's clothing and ninja equipment nicely organised in various compartments.

Right in the middle of the room was a kotatsu with four cushions on each side. This acted as both a study table and a place to sit down and relax to watch some television, which was a massive 50" in size and positioned on a stand directly opposite to the bed. Hinata sat on one of the cushions and outstretched her legs under the table for great comfort. Here she noticed some very interesting items. First was Naruto's touch screen phone, which was covered in an orange rubber protector and a key strap with a small bowl of ramen dangling from the end. Hinata couldn't help but smile at the object. She also noticed the fact that Naruto's laptop, which was lying in front of her, also had a sticker of a large bowl of ramen plastered on top of the lid. It was starting to become clear to her Naruto's ridiculous obsession of ramen. Hinata placed her own phone next to Naruto's, one that was in fact the exact same model and make as his but with a dark blue rubber protector around it and a spiral shaped cinnamon bun hanging from the end of a strap.

Finally Hinata noticed the book like photo frame on top of the table, which had two pictures, one where Naruto stood with his mother and another one with his father. The photos brought a smile to her face, but she became even happier as she placed a similar sized framed photograph next to those two in which she and Naruto were standing side by side holding hands in their formal Uzumaki and Hyuga attire, taken right after the completion of their marriage ceremony. It looked beautiful and fit perfectly next to the pictures with his parents.

A quick glance towards the TV caught Hinata's attention. She crawled over to the TV stand and opened the glass doors only to find a video game console sitting on the bottom with a stash of games piled up around it. She picked up a couple of them and instantly her heart started beating fast.

"_He likes these?"_ She thought out of surprise after looking at some of his collection of games before quickly placing them where she found them and shutting the glass doors again. _"Now's not the time."_

Hinata got up and made her way to one of the doors at one end of the room which led to the toilet. This wasn't the place she was looking for so she went to the other door on the other side of the room which connected to the bath, which was her destination.

Stepping through the door led her into a small yet wide corridor-like area where on one side were stacks on to which clothing could be stored and on the other side was a large washing machine. The corridor-like space eventually ended with two non-transparent sliding glass doors that opened to the bath.

Hinata definitely needed to take a bath. She didn't know exactly how this first night with Naruto would unwind but if her imaginations were anything to go buy she needed to take a bath and a long one at that. She absolutely had to cleanse herself for what was to come, and what was to come was too much for her brain to process in its entirety, nearly causing her to lose consciousness. But she barely managed to keep herself standing and started to take off her clothes, placing them in the washing machine and turning it on in a trance, trying her best to not faint from the highly suggestive imaginations that were trying to overtake her mind.

She quickly got inside the bath and slid the door shut behind her. This place was massive, almost as big as Naruto's room itself. There was both a bath tub and a shower for whichever was preferable. Hinata mostly always took showers, but today she opted to take a long bath just to make sure that her entire body was in the best condition possible…for Naruto.

Thus she prepared the bathtub and slipped into it with that last thought embedded deeply within her mind.

A little while later Naruto arrived in his own room after having finally finished with all the formalities. Today had turned out to be an incredibly long day with the marriage and everything. He wasted no time in changing from his formal attire and slipping into one of his comfortable sleeping dresses – a combination of a silk shirt and pajamas. He headed over to the bath area to place his outfit in the washing machine, only to find it already on. He wasn't used to anyone else ever using the facilities within his room, but realised that Hinata was in the bath already. It was now truly starting to dawn on him that the two of them would be living together for the rest of their lives and this feeling was unlike anything he had ever felt before, one that sent butterflies in his stomach. He also realised at this point that tonight wasn't just going to be any ordinary night. It was going to be their first night together. That thought combined with the fact that Hinata was taking a bath just on the other side of the glass door caused his heart to start beating like crazy. He quickly left his clothes on the shelf and went back into his room, hoping to calm himself down.

But it didn't work. He couldn't calm down. Every moment that passed his heart was beating even faster in anticipation of the moment Hinata would step out of the bath, so much so that Naruto felt as though his heart might overwork itself and stop at any point. As he braced himself for what was to come he heard the glass doors to the bath slide open. She was probably getting changed right now. Naruto's restlessness was now starting to get beyond his control. Any second she was going to walk out and then the two of them would step into a new world, one that could only be experienced by a husband and wife together.

"Naruto-kun…" He heard her shaky voice from behind the door to the bathing area, one that made him jump up haphazardly.

Naruto quickly noticed that she seemed a bit troubled. "W-What's the matter Hinata? Is anything wrong?"

"I…I nonchalantly put my clothes in the washing machine and forgot that those were the only set of clothes I brought with me. So now I have nothing to wear." She explained nervously.

"Eh?" It took Naruto a few seconds to realise the situation. "EHHHHHHHHH?"

"W-What do I do Naruto-kun?" She asked from the other side of the door.

The situation caught him completely off guard. His brain was already in a fritz before but now it was running at a hundred miles an hour without getting anywhere. Where could he get women's clothing at this time of the night? Everyone else was probably asleep by now as well. Amidst the uncertainty an idea suddenly came up in his mind.

"Do you think maybe you'd like to wear one of my sleeping dresses for tonight?" He suggested. "They probably won't be a perfect fit, but they're relatively loose and might be able to hold you over until tomorrow by which time your clothes should have dried or I can get you a new set."

"T-That sounds like a great idea." Hinata's voice had regained some of its strength.

Getting her approval, Naruto went over to his wardrobe and fished around for a second set of sleeping dress to hand over to Hinata. What he did not expect however was for her to come out into his room and stand a few feet behind him next to the bed. He wanted to turn around so badly and face her but he couldn't, knowing that Hinata didn't have any clothes on right now. He was frozen in place with the sleeping dress in hand not knowing what to do. He had to give these clothes to her. She was waiting for him. Therefore, he steeled his resolve and finally turned around to face Hinata, hoping that he could handle what he was about to see.

What he saw however was not quite what he expected. Hinata had a towel wrapped around her body, covering all of her modesty. But this still did not take away from the amazing sight that was in front of Naruto.

The water dripping from her long gorgeous hair. Her silky white hands. And those legs; those legs were downright criminal.

Naruto was stunned in place by the sheer beauty of the woman in front of him. He just couldn't take his eyes off of her. And Hinata caught on to this. She could tell that at this moment in time she had Naruto's undivided attention. She was normally somewhat insecure about her own attributes, but right now she felt that it wasn't so bad using her appeal to charm her lover.

"A-Ano…the clothes." She reminded him hesitantly, not wanting him to take his eyes off of her.

"I'm s-sorry. Here they are." He walked forward but because he was so busy looking at Hinata that when he was just a step away from her, he tripped over his own foot and ended up pushing Hinata down on to the bed with his own body on top, their faces inches apart.

Naruto's heart was now beating so hard that he could feel it in his throat. His face was bright red as was Hinata's. They both stared into each other's eyes knowing where this was headed, but neither of them knew where to start.

Naruto could not believe what was happening. He always remembered Hinata as the pure and innocent princess. But now he was starting to find her attractive in an adult manner. He felt guilty for even thinking about her that way, but even though his mind was saying one thing his body was at its limit.

"Hime…I don't think I can control myself much longer." He told Hinata with desperation clear in his tone. "Can I?"

Hinata's head was in disarray as well and she struggled to keep her consciousness intact. The only thing that still kept her in the real world and not in dreamland was the heat from Naruto's body, which was now pressed up to hers. She could see the desire in his eyes and its contagiousness was starting to affect her as well.

Thus, with a firmed resolve, Hinata nodded her head and without a moment wasted Naruto made his move.

* * *

Oh ho...what a perfect place to end isn't it? For those of you who are curious, I have left a hint to what happens next time in the title of this chapter.

From last time **mds777, NecroSaintCreed, ****myafroatemydog** (hilarious name), **Scottkuduo **and** Chewie Cookies** (The "Handsome" One if you get that ref lol) all took a pretty good stab in guessing the kids were taken in by Naruto, which was close enough.

However uber kudos to **YamiChaos27** (aka the mind reader), **Sakura-HimexVongola** and **Otaku of Anime** for actually pinpointing the mother of the children, which I sneakily put into the flashback.

Also I'm really glad to see that **Sakura-HimexVongola** (Reborn fan?) and **YukiMC** both caught that little anime reference I left in the last chapter as well.

**grimreaper40045:** He isn't. More will become clear as we go on.

I suppose I'll end today with a little question to everyone. Which fruit's flavor do you guys prefer: Lime or Lemon? Or perhaps none?

Let me know what you thought of the chapter. Until next time, take care ;)


	16. The First Night: Inner

**The First Night: Inner**

* * *

Naruto moved forward to kiss Hinata and she closed her eyes in anticipation. What she did not expect however was something hard poking her on the right thigh at that exact same moment. Everything was already moving so fast that Hinata was already on the edge of losing consciousness, but with this last incident she could no longer retain control over her mind and thus she passed out.

Naruto on the other hand had closed his eyes as well and was moments away from kissing Hinata, but he suddenly felt an intense presence staring straight through his skull, one that instantly put him on edge. He opened his eyes only to find that Hinata's Byakugan was activated, which meant that her inner personality was out.

"W-What are you doing here?" Naruto asked out of both surprise and awkwardness. The mood was so perfect between him and the original Hinata just moments ago.

Alter Hinata stared blankly at Naruto as their noses were now only a few inches apart. But unlike Naruto she didn't seem at all flustered by the situation. Not that she understood what it meant to have romantic feelings.

"My other self fainted." She replied bluntly. "She was trying very hard to keep herself together for your sake, but the development was too much for someone as shy as her to endure so suddenly. So she lost consciousness, and when that happens I automatically end up getting forced out to take control of the body."

Naruto understood what had happened after hearing the explanation. He felt guilty for only thinking of himself and not paying attention to Hinata, pushing her too far beyond her comfort zone. Naruto knew how shy Hinata was, so he should have been the one to make sure that she was comfortable going forward as opposed to expecting her to outright tell him everything. It was his fault and he felt bad about it.

"Can you get off me?" Alter Hinata asked with a frustrated look. "I don't like anyone being on top of me both figuratively and literally."

Naruto was a bit lost in his thoughts and before he could take any action Hinata got fed of waiting and kneed him in the balls, sending the poor Uzumaki rolling around on the bed while holding on to his precious but now injured jewels.

Hinata got up from the bed and took off her towel, putting on the sleeping dress that Naruto had selected. Even though she changed right in front of Naruto, he barely noticed any of it being too busy enduring the inexplicable pain in his nether regions and to stop himself from screaming out like a little girl.

Hinata looked down at Naruto after getting changed and got even more frustrated after looking at his writhing. "Act like a man and GET UP ALREADY!" She ordered.

"You don't hit a man in his balls and then tell him to be a man. YOU JUST DON'T DO THAT! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Naruto gave her an equally angry look, but that expression changed to a point where it looked like he was about to cry.

Hinata whistled and looked around Naruto's room, pretending to not have heard anything.

"DON'T IGNORE ME!" Naruto yelled at her in frustration, finally being able to stand back up on his feet given that the pain had subsided a little.

Having looked around the room Hinata sat down on the bed with her legs crossed. "Uzumaki, I'm bored. Neither am I sleepy. Entertain me."

"What do you think I am? Your circus monkey?"

"I don't care what you are. You're the reason why I'm out here in the first place. I'd much rather not be. Therefore I now need to kill some time before my other self regains consciousness and I can pass control over to her."

Although he was still annoyed at Hinata for what she did to him earlier, Naruto did feel responsible for bringing out her alter ego. Thus he decided to indulge. "Fine, I'll do what I can. What do you want to do anyway? All you seem to enjoy is picking a fight."

"Hmmm…indeed fighting you would be entertaining." Hinata replied with a smirk.

"I'm not gonna fight you right now in the middle of the night. No way, not with injured balls." Naruto cut her off instantly. "Plus I'm tired."

"I wasn't going to suggest that. Although I am still looking forward to an actual match, beating you while you're not at 100% would not be worth the effort. What I had in mind for now was that." Hinata pointed at the TV. "I saw earlier that you had an interesting collection of fighting games. I suppose we could have a match there for now."

Naruto was quite surprised after hearing her suggestion. "You like fighting games?"

"I suppose I've delved into them from time to time in the past." She replied while taking a seat on one of the cushions around the kotatsu.

"I didn't quite expect that. In any case, I guess we can play. But do keep in mind that I'm pretty good at them. So don't start crying if I end up dominating the fights. Plus I'm not gonna go easy after what you just did to me." Naruto warned Hinata as he started flicking through his collection of games until he found one. "This is a pretty good one, but it's quite violent. Perhaps I should choose another."

Hinata's eyes glinted in response. "Put that one on."

"Okay, if you say so." Naruto put the disc in and started up the TV, handing Hinata a controller as he sat down on a cushion with another controller in hand.

The console started up. It was a brutal game where the two combatants fought to the death using both martial arts and special powers. Naruto chose a character that specialised in ice based attacks while Hinata chose one that specialised in fire.

Naruto went on the offensive as soon as the match started but Hinata easily blocked every single hit he tried to land. It was like she could see through him completely. She kept defending until eventually she found an opening. In one sudden motion her character appeared right behind Naruto's, sending him flying with a powerful punch and then following it up with a long string of attacks that reduced his character's health below half in one fell swoop.

"You can't just teleport behind me like that all of a sudden. That's cheap." Naruto complained as he continued getting pummelled by Hinata.

"That's rich coming from you considering that your father is known for his teleportation techniques." Hinata retaliated. "Also you shouldn't be whining. That was an overhead attack. You could have dodged it just by crouching. Now it's time for you to taste defeat."

True to her words, with a few rapid hits in succession Naruto's character was knocked out of the count and now wobbled around in place waiting for Hinata's character to deliver a final blow.

"AHHHH NOOOO, THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING! HOW DID I LOSE SO EASILY?!" Naruto shouted in utter disbelief at both his own loss and his opponent's unbelievable skill.

"FINISH HIM!" The announcer within the game yelled in a deep voice.

Instantly a sadistic smile appeared on Hinata's face. "Watch this!"

With one clean uppercut Hinata's character tore apart Naruto's character's head clean off his body and held the now disembodied head of her opponent up in the air as a memento of her victory.

Naruto's mouth was wide open from shock. When he came to he only had one word: "REMATCH!"

"Bring it!" Hinata gave a simple yet resolute reply.

A second match was underway but it didn't take long for Hinata to make quick work of Naruto once again, this time plunging his character's face into molten lava as a finisher.

"REMATCH!" Naruto demanded once again and Hinata gladly agreed.

The third match was over even faster as Hinata ripped Naruto's heart out in the game and crushed it within her hand.

"FLAWLESS VICTORY!" The game announcer informed.

Naruto's will was broken but he wasn't about to give up.

"Different game." He said while searching through his collection and starting up another fighting game.

Hinata only smiled in response as the match started up and she made even quicker work of Naruto, this time ending the match with a 300 hit combo.

"ULTRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The announcer within this game shouted almost to the point of tearing his larynx out.

"How the heck did you get me like that, let alone with an Ultra Combo? THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!" Naruto held his head with both hands in denial. "NEXT GAME!"

He was desperate to win at this point and so devised a cunning plan with this next game. As soon as the two selected their characters and the fight started, Naruto backed away to the edge of the screen and started firing a constant stream of fireballs at Hinata with an evil smile on his face knowing how cheap a tactic it was.

"Oh so you're just gonna sit in the corner of the screen and spam projectiles at me?" She asked while blocking the hits and building up her super attack meter. "I have a special way of dealing with noobs like you."

Once she was fully charged up Hinata easily jumped through the gaps between consecutive fireballs and landed a hit on Naruto which then led on to even bigger combo given the fact that he had backed himself into a corner from the very beginning. To end the game Hinata unleashed her ultimate attack and with one destructive rising dragon fist she sent her opponent soaring into the sky, once again clenching a decisive victory.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Naruto screamed in agony from the taste of yet another defeat. "This can't be! How could I have not won a single game? I can't believe this."

"Don't take it personally Uzumaki. There are things people suck at and other things in which they suck even harder. In your case these games seem to fall into the latter category."

"Somehow your consolation feels more like you're rubbing salt into my wound." Naruto replied in a deadpanned tone. "How are you this good? Like seriously?"

"I have kicked copious amounts of asses in these games, so much so that I was once hailed as the "Arcade Queen Hinata". A small fry like you had no chance to begin with." Hinata exhaled like a dragon through her nostrils with a wide grin, her pride soaring high from exerting her dominance over Naruto. "Now then, I'm thirsty, go get me a drink."

Naruto went from nearly crying to highly irritated. "Don't order me around like I'm your servant."

Hinata stared intensely at Naruto with her Byakugan, not happy with his reply. "You lost to me and as the loser you are obligated to obey this command of mine."

Naruto was about to argue back but there was no denying that he was utterly defeated. Thus he decided to own up to his loss like a man. "ARRRGGGGHHHH! Your tone really annoys me but I have no choice. I want to have a rematch with you once I get better. So I'll listen to your order. What drink do you want?"

"Hmmm…let's see." Hinata was deep in thought for a few seconds before reaching a decision. "LEMONADE! Bring me a cold glass of lemonade that will quench my thirst."

Naruto nodded and left the room without any question, returning back in 5 minutes with two glasses of lemonade with ice floating on top. He placed one of the glasses in front of Hinata as he took a seat with the other glass in hand.

Hinata's eyes lit up after seeing her favourite drink. One sip of the ice cold lemonade sent shivers down her body. "This sweet delectable flavour mixed with a tinge of sourness is soooo good. Lemons are certainly the best."

"I personally prefer lime, but as long as you like it I guess this works." Naruto took a sip of the lemonade as well and was quite impressed with his own handiwork, but at the same time his expression became downcast when he thought about how Hinata fainted earlier because of his actions. "How could I have been so careless to not even realise that I was pushing her beyond her comfort zone? It was so selfish of me. I should have been more sensitive."

Alter Hinata observed Naruto closely and she could see that he was truly feeling sorry for his actions. Under normal circumstances she would berate someone that so much as batted an eye incorrectly towards her other self, but she didn't want to see Naruto downcast for some reason. The one thing she did know however was how her other self truly felt about him and her other self would certainly not criticise him right now for his previous actions.

"I don't think there is anything wrong in what you were doing. After all, consummating your marriage is something very natural. In fact my other self also wanted the same thing you did. Unfortunately, for someone as shy and timid as her such a big step so suddenly was perhaps a bit too much to handle. She should have understood her own limitations."

Naruto felt a bit relieved after hearing her explanation, allowing for him to understand Hinata just a little bit better.

"Uzumaki, I never thought I'd say this to anyone, but I will do so for both of your benefit. In this relationship you should be the one to take charge. I'm sure that over time she'll become more confident and open up to you further, but you should actively facilitate that development. Pay attention to her but above all, be yourself because that is what she wants most. You'll just have to give her some time to fully understand you, as I'm sure it'll be the same for you in regards to her. So just act naturally and let this relationship mature over time."

"Thank you…" Naruto was truly grateful for the words of advice this Hinata gave him. Everything started to make sense. He had the expectation of understanding Hinata almost overnight, but that was clearly not going to be the case. It takes time for two people to truly understand one another, and that was especially the case for a husband and wife. So he would just have to do his best in regards to her as he did for everything else. He just had to be himself.

"I suppose we finished right on time. My other self has just regained consciousness. I'll pass it on to her now." Alter Hinata told Naruto but at the same time an idea came to her. "Actually there is one more thing."

"What is it?" He asked curiously.

"Since I did kick you in the balls earlier and despite that you've been so hospitable, I suppose I'll give you an extra bit of information that should prove useful." Alter Hinata said with a smirk on her face. "My other self may be rather shy most of the time but when asleep she tends to be a lot more honest and open about herself. So pay special attention to her when she's asleep. You may learn a lot about her this way. That is all. The rest you can figure out by yourself."

Naruto was a bit confused by the information but before he could ask any questions alter Hinata deactivated her Byakugan and gave control back to the original Hinata.

"I'M REALLY SORRY FOR LOSING CONSCIOUSNESS EARLIER!" She apologised wholeheartedly as soon as she regained control. "To top it off my other self even kicked you in your precious place. I'm very very sorry. I truly am."

"Don't worry about it Hinata. It's no big deal. I'm okay now and the two of us had a pretty good conversation while drinking some lemonade. So it's all good."

Hinata looked at the empty glass sitting in front of her with a few ice cubes left over at the bottom and instantly her eyes started to water. "Uuuuuuu…she drank all the lemonade. That's terrible. I would have loved to have some as well."

"I can go make you a glass right now." Naruto was getting up from his seat but Hinata quickly grabbed his hand and made him sit back down.

"T-That isn't necessary." She replied as a small blush started to creep up on her cheeks. "Instead, would you like to c-continue where we l-left off before I passed out?"

That question caught Naruto off guard but he quickly realised that Hinata was trying her best to be considerate towards him. He remembered what her alter ego told him earlier.

Naruto grabbed Hinata's shoulders with both hands, catching her by surprise. "Hinata, you don't have to push yourself for my sake. In fact I want you to not hold anything back and tell me how you truly feel, because after all we're a family now."

Naruto's words and the fact that the two of them were now a family soothed Hinata's heart. She now looked at him directly with great intent.

"I know I'm not perfect when dealing with intricate details, especially when it comes to women, but that is why I want you to help me out. I'll do my best from now on to understand you even better." He said with great determination before a blush crept up to his cheeks as well. "As for what we were about to do earlier, I'm sure that will happen naturally over time. I don't think there's any reason for us to rush it. So let's take our time developing our feelings even further. Darn, I must sound to terribly cliché right now."

"That's not it at all. I'm glad that you feel that way." Hinata replied with a gentle smile. The restlessness that she felt earlier was now replaced with a sense of peace and serenity. It made her love him even more.

"I suppose it's been a very long day and we're both pretty tired. So how about we get some sleep?" Naruto asked and Hinata nodded in response.

Thus the two of them went to bed keeping their hands locked together even as they laid next to one another. The feeling of sleeping next to someone was foreign to the two of them, but they both appreciated each other's presence and the warmth that they shared. The two talked about their past for a while before they both drifted to sleep.

However for Naruto, that sleep would not last for long as he was about to find yet another side of Hinata.

Naruto was abruptly woken up from his slumber by a very tight grasp around his body. He opened his eyes only to find that Hinata was currently using him as a body pillow, using both her hands and legs to embrace him strongly. Her face was so close that he could feel her hot breaths on his cheek.

As if this wasn't enough he suddenly felt Hinata lick his cheek, sending shivers down his spine.

"Did that feel good?" Hinata asked from within her sleep. "Then how about this?"

This time she lightly bit on to his left earlobe, causing him to moan in return. "Ahh…don't."

"Biting is a no?" She asked once again before coming to a realisation. "Oh, you actually liked it…okay."

"Hinata please let me go." Naruto requested as things were getting a bit too out of control.

"I love you so much Naruto-kun, and I would do anything for you, but I didn't like how those girls were looking at you earlier. You belong to me now and I will never ever share you with anyone. Everyone needs to understand that. So I'll mark you as mine." He heard Hinata mumble before she lightly bit on to one side of his neck.

He was taken aback by Hinata's sudden action but all of a sudden she started to aggressively suck the skin she bit on to. At this point Naruto knew exactly what she was doing.

"Please Hinata don't. You'll leave a mark." Naruto tried to escape but Hinata moved her body on top of him, forcefully held him down and gave him the mark.

Naruto could do nothing but accept it, although deep inside he didn't mind and so didn't make a strong enough effort to escape. After about a minute or so she stopped and rested her head next to his.

"Looks good. Now everyone will know that you are mine and mine alone." Hinata commented one last time in her sleep before she stopped talking but still layed on top on him for the rest of night.

Naruto felt an incredibly hot sensation around his neck, but there was not much that could be done anymore.

"Hope it's not as bad as I think it is." He whispered to himself before finally being able to get some much needed sleep.

The next morning after waking up Naruto stood in front of the mirror with a worried look.

"IT'S MUCH WORSE THAN I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE!" He screamed in distress while examining the large red circular love bite on his neck that was clearly visible for the entire world to see.

His sudden outburst caused Hinata to wake up from her sleep as well.

"Ohayou Naruto-kun, what's the matter?" She asked him while outstretching her arms. When he turned towards her she was completely taken aback by the glowing red mark on his neck. "H-H-H-How did you get that?

"You're the one who gave it to me in your sleep last night." Naruto informed her while rubbing his neck, hoping for the mark to lighten, but this was going to last.

"You mean that wasn't a dream?" Hinata asked in shock as she remembered everything. "EEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHH!?"

* * *

Lemonade is now officially Hinata's favorite drink thanks to you guys :)

As for this chapter, all those fighting game references. I wonder if someone can get them all.

Let me know what you thought about the chapter and I shall see you all next time.


	17. The Morning After

**The Morning After**

I just finished watching SAO II and that ending took me on a ride on the feels train. That's why I've tried to go crazy with the humor tag with this chapter so that I can overcome the sadness of that ending.

* * *

"You mean that wasn't a dream?" Hinata asked with a look of absolute disbelief on her face.

Seeing her look, Naruto's inner prankster wanted to tease her a little bit.

"You forcefully held me down, bit and licked me as you pleased and gave me that love mark as I struggled helplessly under your control." Naruto explained while emulating the tone of a victim.

"B-But I thought it was a dream. That's the only reason I d-did those things."

"Wait…I was just kidding. D-Did you actually do some unspeakable things to me in your dream?" Naruto asked Hinata with a suspicious look. "You're normally so shy and reserved, yet in your sleep you were so aggressive."

Hinata's head was now spinning from embarrassment, but she tried her best to hold herself together. "You see I'm a-actually a lucid dreamer. So I can tell within my dreams that I'm dreaming. Since I know that my dreams aren't real I end up doing whatever I want to in them. But I didn't know my body reacted similarly in real life as my dream. I'm terribly s-sorry for everything I did last night."

"Wow…interesting. You really are anything but a normal girl Hinata."

After hearing his last remark Hinata looked like she was about to cry.

"I didn't mean that in a bad way. What I was trying to say is that you're very unique and different from the rest, which are good traits in my eyes." Naruto clarified quickly, trying to make her feel better. "That being said there is something that has been on my mind since last night. In your sleep you said that you wanted to mark me as yours because you didn't like other girls looking at me in questionable ways. Did you really feel that strongly about it?"

Hinata averted her gaze from Naruto but nodded nonetheless. "You mean a lot to me Naruto-kun. I'm sorry…"

Naruto lifted her head so that their gazes met once again. "There is no need for you to be sorry. I would be angry too if some other guy tried to hit on you. But rest assured that my eyes have only been on you. I've never been interested in anyone else. So you don't need to worry Hinata. I am yours and yours alone."

Despite what she had done Naruto was consoling her rather than being frustrated. Thus his words cheered up Hinata. However, the moment between them was brought to a quick halt as there was a knock on the door.

"ONE SECOND." Naruto shouted out to the newcomer as he walked over and opened the door only to find the younger Uzumaki girl, Chihiro standing with some clothes in her hands.

"Your parents are at the dining hall and have called the two of you for breakfast." Chihiro informed Naruto before her eyes naturally drifted towards the dark spot on his neck. She dropped the clothes she was holding in shock, but the matter escalated when she looked behind Naruto and saw Hinata wearing his clothes.

Naruto realised that she had seen the mark and he quickly covered it with his hand.

"Naruto-niisama has already climbed the stairs to adulthood in one night. I CAN'T WATCH THIS ANYMORE!" She screamed and ran away crying.

"_YES, THAT WORKED BETTER THAN I THOUGHT!"_ Hinata rejoiced in her mind for a second but quickly felt bad. _"NO NO NO what am I thinking? I've only caused Naruto-kun trouble because of my selfish reasons."_

"W-Wait Chihiro! Why are you running away? At least take the laundry with you." Naruto called out to her but she was long gone. He picked up the clothes and placed them on the bed. "Speaking of clothes, we need to go out and buy you some outfits today. Plus I'm sure there are other female items you need that I don't have. So what do you say, you want to go shopping together?"

What Naruto described sounded just like a date to Hinata. So she instantly nodded with great enthusiasm. This would be their first date ever and she could not be more excited.

"Seems like you're looking forward to it. I am too. I think it'll be fun. But before that we need to find a way to cover up this mark on my neck."

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience Naruto-kun. We haven't even been married for a day and I'm already causing you trouble." Hinata apologised to Naruto in a depressed tone.

It saddened Naruto to see her this way. He sincerely wanted her to be happy.

"You know, if I'm being honest I actually appreciated what you did last night. If I really did mind it I would have forced you off, but I didn't. It kind of made me happy to hear and see you being selfish when it comes to me. It just means you care about me that much right?"

Hinata nodded decisively. "I absolutely meant what I said in my dream."

"That's exactly why I loved hearing you say them and so I let you do what you did. I feel the same way." Naruto replied with a smile. "Although I may appreciate this mark you've left on me, I don't think it is socially acceptable to go around in public with this widely visible. So I'll have to cover it up. I wonder what would be the best way though."

Hinata felt a sense of joy inside but at the same time understood what he meant and remembered something that could remedy the situation. "You were wearing a scarf yesterday right? That should easily cover up that mark without looking unnatural."

"That's true!" Naruto quickly ran to the bathing area and grabbed the scarf his mother made for him, wrapping it around his neck and covering up the spot. "This is perfect Hinata. You're a genius."

"T-Thank you." She answered back while twiddling her index fingers together.

"Alright then, with this issue sorted out we should go and have breakfast. Our parents are waiting."

Thus the two of them got changed quickly and headed off to the dining room to have some breakfast. Upon arriving they found both of their mothers sitting on two cushions around the large knee high dining table. Breakfast was served just moments ago, indicated by the hot steam that was still rising from the food.

"Good morning mom. Sorry for being a bit late." Naruto greeted his mother as he and Hinata took a seat next to each other.

"It's no big deal. You two have a good night's sleep?" Kushina asked with a mischievous smile. "Oh who am I kidding, I bet you got barely any sleep whatsoever."

Her little comment flew over Naruto's head as he was completely oblivious.

"No we definitely got some sleep." He replied casually.

Kushina decided she would have a little fun. "Naruto, why are you wearing that scarf this early in the morning at breakfast?"

This question completely caught him off guard. He didn't prepare an answer for it beforehand; neither could he tell her what the scarf was actually hiding.

"I r-r-really appreciated you m-m-making this scarf f-for me, so I decided I'll w-wear it everywhere for a w-w-while." He barely managed to stutter out, but his mother knew all too well that whenever he hesitated or stuttered in his speech he was trying to cover something up.

"Don't even try to play hide and seek with me." Kushina told him before turning to Hinata's mother. "What was it that she said Harumi-san?"

Harumi also had a devious grin on her face as she now imitated her daughter's meek tone. "I love you so much Naruto-kun, and I would do anything for you, but I didn't like how those girls were looking at you earlier. You belong to me now and I will never ever share you with anyone. Everyone needs to understand that. So I'll mark you as mine."

On cue, Kushina also imitated Naruto's tone. "Please Hinata don't. You'll leave a mark."

Hearing their mothers the couple's faces became equally as red as a tomato. Words could not describe how embarrassed they were right now.

"Y-Y-YOU SPIED ON US!" Naruto pointed accusingly at his mother.

Hinata on the other hand grabbed one end of Naruto's long scarf and wrapped it around her face, not wanting to show herself anymore.

"Did I really say all those things?" She asked Naruto while leaning on to him.

"Y-Yeah…" He replied, causing her to coil up even more in shame.

"Would you look at that? Not too long ago my little girl would have hid behind her mother, but now Naruto has already stolen her from me after just one night." Harumi teased her child even more.

"Okaa-sama…please stop." Hinata's face could not be seen because of the layer of scarf wrapped around her head, but it must have taken some unbelievable shade of red by now.

"They are so adorable. Reminds me when I was that age and just married to my own husband." Kushina reminisced about the old days.

Harumi nodded. "This is such a great age for their marriage because right now is the time of uncontrolled passion. A year and we should be seeing a pregnant Hinata."

"No, with these two give it 6 months and they'll be expecting their first child." Kushina replied in a matter of fact kind of way.

At that moment Minato and Hiashi walked into the dining room together.

"Hyuga-san we have a deal right?" Minato asked Hiashi as he took a seat next to his wife. "First child takes over Uzumaki clan and second child takes over Hyuga clan."

"Yeah it's a deal." Hiashi replied in his usual dignified tone as he also took a seat beside Harumi.

Their children however were in shock at this point.

"WHAT ARE YOU GUYS TALKING ABOUT?" Naruto shouted at the rest in disbelief. "Don't go making plans for grandchildren that don't even exist."

"It's inevitable Naruto. We have to start thinking about the future." Minato responded seriously to his son before looking over to his wife. "So…they did the do?"

"Negative captain!" Kushina responded dramatically by crossing her hands. "They just talked about their first time last night. Not much development other than that."

"WHAT FIRST TIME?" Hiashi asked as he menacingly glared at Naruto, clearly misunderstanding his mother's statement. "Don't tell me you took my daughter's chastity when you first met when she was 9 years old. I don't care if you're her husband now, but there'll be consequences if you say yes YOU FIEND!"

Naruto's jaws were almost on the floor from the development of this conversation, but he had to say something in his defence. "Of course I didn't do anything like that. I didn't even know the meaning of the word chastity back then."

"Should I trust you?" Hiashi still looked at him suspiciously.

"YES YOU SHOULD TRUST ME!" Naruto asserted fiercely before turning to his wife, taking off the scarf from around her face so she could talk. "Hinata tell him something."

She only blushed in response.

"THAT ISN'T HELPING!" Naruto was now in an even worst spot.

Hiashi still eyed Naruto apprehensively but decided to let the matter slide.

"Hinata don't let your first time discourage you." Harumi decided to advise her daughter. "It'll only get better from there."

"We really didn't do anything okaa-sama!" Hinata finally got up the courage to clarify matters despite being very flustered.

"I'm saying this for the time when you do DO it."

Minato on the other hand punched the ground. "DARN IT! Where my grandchildren be?"

"Don't worry Minato." Kushina decided to console her husband. "You put a man and a woman alone in a room at the middle of the night enough times and "mistakes" are bound to happen eventually. If not we can give them a little push. Mix some stuff in with their food that should get them to become "active" if you know what I mean."

"Kushina, you are so evil…in the best way possible."

"MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Both Minato and Kushina laughed malevolently as they thought up the master plan for the birth of their future grandchildren.

"WE CAN HEAR YOU TWO!" Naruto retorted. "I'm not eating any food at home from this point forth. Let's go Hinata. You don't have to listen to their ridiculousness."

Minato and Kushina quickly grabbed their son's hands and held him back. "NOOOOO DON'T GO SON! We're sorry. It was only a joke."

"Alright fine, no need to be so dramatic about it." Naruto still had a look of annoyance present on his face. "Now can we stop all this crazy talk and eat some food?"

"Yes that sounds good." Both of his parents agreed.

Thus the party started their breakfast as they made small talk.

Midway through their meal Kushina decided to make a confession to her son. "Okay Naruto, we admit, we've been bad parents."

"FINALLY! THANK YOU!" Naruto was happy that his parents realised at last how much they had been embarrassing him earlier. Little did he know what they really meant.

"We've never actually sat you down and properly given you THE talk. That's the reason why you're so sensitive about this subject. But now is the time you need to become comfortable with this matter. So I suppose I'll tell you about how you were born." Minato cleared his throat. "To cut a long story short, basically your mother and I had mad-"

Naruto nearly choked on his food but he had to retaliate fast. "I DON'T NEED TO KNOW HOW I WAS BORN! KEEP THAT STORY TO YOUR SELF! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU TWO? YOU'RE EMBARASSING OUR FAMILY IN FRONT OF THE HYUGA!"

"Hyuga-san, did you find our previous exchange particularly embarrassing?" Minato asked Hiashi casually.

"Not really." Hiashi replied. "We've already told Hinata how she was born so she would be well prepared for the day when she herself may wish to conceive."

Hinata could only blush a bright red in response.

"I give up. Your family is just as crazy." Naruto on the other hand could only sigh in defeat as he went back to eating his breakfast.

"Leaving all the joking aside, I think you should take Hinata out for shopping." Kushina suggested. "The marriage kind of happened suddenly, so she didn't bring any of her clothing or daily necessities with her. So take her out and buy her whatever she needs. It'll also be a good opportunity for you to learn more about what women need specifically in their day to day lives."

"We were planning to do that anyway." Naruto told his mother.

"Yes it was actually Naruto-kun who suggested it earlier." Hinata added.

"Is that so?" Kushina was a little surprised. "That was thoughtful of him. In that case you two should finish your food and be on your way. I'm sure you're looking forward to your first outing."

Neither of them said anything but they agreed with that sentiment within their minds. Thus they quickly finished their breakfast and got ready to leave.

"We'll be off then." Naruto said to his parents.

"Yeah, have fun but be sure to return before evening. There is something important we need to discuss with the two of you then." Minato reminded his son. "Also make sure to buy Hinata a battle attire as well."

Naruto found it a little weird as to why his parents would want him to buy Hinata a battle attire, but he assumed that she was a ninja after all and every ninja needed to have one at all times whether they were out on missions or not.

"Oh and one more thing. Please hold your hands together for a moment." Kushina requested the two of them.

"Why?" Naruto asked.

"Just do what I say." She demanded strongly this time and they obeyed reluctantly as Naruto held Hinata's left hand with his right one. Kushina prepared a technique of her own before forcing their hands together tightly. "Sealing Jutsu: Newlywed's Seal!"

"Wait what?" Naruto and Hinata asked in unison. It didn't take too long for them to realise that they could no longer separate their hands. The palms of their hands had been stuck together.

"It is a sealing technique your father taught me a while ago that should bring the two of you closer." Kushina explained with a deviant smirk. "It'll wear off in several hours but until then, enjoy an intimate time together."

Both Naruto and Hinata were in shock of what just happened and could only wonder how their day would transpire now that their hands were stuck together like super glue.

* * *

Next chapter will get even crazier as they come face to face with the enemy.

From last time I was happy to see that a lot of you appreciated the little video game segment with Naruto and Hinata. **Anarionrising27**, **petran**, **devilzxnight86**, **ENavarro1** all guessed the games they were playing correctly. Special props goes to **GenocideKhaos** (Inner Hinata damaging Naruto's lil' rasengans lol) for not only guessing some of the games correctly but even naming the specific characters Naruto and Hinata were using in the first game. Now that just blew my mind.

In fact my idea is that I'll occasionally do segments where Naruto and Hinata play certain co-op or competitive games together. If any of you have suggestions as to what game you would want to see them play and react to, let me know and I'll incorporate them if possible.

**petran:** You got me good. Google has failed me. I can't answer that question of yours. PLZ TELL ME THE ANSWER!

That is all for now. Let me know what you thought of the chapter and as always I will see you next time.


	18. The First Date

**The First Date**

I haven't updated in a while, so this chapter is a bit longer than usual. In fact it is the longest one I've written so far.

* * *

The couple walked through the busy streets of Uzushiogakure hand in hand until eventually they reached a large multi-storied shopping mall at the heart of the business district. Uzushiogakure itself was a highly developed village with a lot of high rise buildings reaching into its skylines. Likewise the shopping mall was equally state of the art, covering every day to day necessity one could imagine. Naruto and Hinata stepped through the massive sliding glass doors into the ground floor of the mall.

This place is very impressive. I've never been to a shopping center anywhere near this big before." Hinata commented in awe as she looked overhead, being able to see through the glass floors of a central spiralling stairway to the many levels above them.

"Yes this place was in development for a long time before it opened and is constantly renovated. It's one of the most modern and largest facilities in Uzushiogakure." Naruto explained. "The idea is that one should be able to buy nearly anything they may want in their daily lives here. There are ten floors in total with each floor dedicated to specific themes. The women's clothing and necessities are on the second floor. Should we get going?"

Hinata nodded once the initial amazement had worn off and the two of them stepped on to the escalators at the central area of the small.

"So Hinata, what kind of clothing do you like to wear?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Well, I'm not too picky as long as they are modest and comfortable. I generally try to avoid ones that are too flashy."

"That's what I would have expected since it's very much like you. I appreciate your preferences." Naruto replied as they got off at the second floor. Just a little bit of walking led them to the biggest women's clothing shop in the entire plaza.

It was what was on display at the very front of the shop that caught everyone's attention who were passing by. Hinata's eyes drifted on to the absolutely stunning pure white and long sleeved sundress that went all the way down to the ankle. It looked like something a princess straight out of a fairy tale would wear. However, just as the dress itself the price tag on it was equally stunning, which made everyone take several backwards. For Hinata though such an amount would equate to pocket change, but she knew that whatever she was going to buy Naruto would inevitably pick up the tab, no questions asked. She didn't want to weigh down such expenses upon him on their first day together. Thus Hinata decided to pass on it even though it greatly intrigued.

As she was about to move, she noticed that Naruto himself was looking at the dress equally wide-eyed. Their gazes met and the two couldn't help but giggle at each other.

"I guess we've found your first dress huh?" Naruto asked with a smile.

"But the price tag on it is a bit…" Hinata trailed off while bringing her gaze downwards.

But Naruto grabbed her shoulder with one hand and brought her attention back to him. "Hinata, please don't treat me as an outsider. I would like for you to remember that I'm your husband now and isn't it a good husband's duty to buy his wife the things she needs, and to give her some nice gifts? So please, choose whatever you want. I will gladly buy them for you."

"You know Naruto-kun, if you bring a girl shopping and tell her something like that you're asking to go broke."

Naruto couldn't help but laugh at her little joke. "Alright then, I challenge you to make me go broke Hinata. If I can't buy you what you want, I'll get a second job."

Naruto didn't make that statement in jest either. If he wanted he could easily buy every item on this entire floor this moment.

It was Hinata who couldn't help but chuckle at his remark this time. "I appreciate your gesture Naruto-kun, but I believe that is the duty of a good wife to take care of her husband's finances."

"That's nice to hear. Then I shall entrust you with my finances in the future. But for now let's go inside and get you some clothes."

As soon as the two of them entered, a female attendant about the same age as them came over.

"Uzumaki-sama, we haven't seen you in a while. What can we do for you today?" She asked courteously before looking over to the girl next to him. "Is she the new wife that you got married to yesterday?"

"Indeed." He replied. "I was hoping to buy some new clothes for her."

"Is there anything in particular you're looking for?"

"Actually yes, we wanted to have a look at that white sundress that is on display if possible." Naruto enquired.

"Of course. That is a special one of a kind dress made for the current summer season. The one on display is the only one we have, so please give me a few minutes to go get it."

"Sure, no problem." Naruto communicated his agreement.

As the girl walked off, Hinata looked at Naruto somewhat inquisitively. "Even the clerk at a women's clothing store knows you? Are you a frequent here?"

"It's not that I particularly want to be known here. My mom drags me out shopping with her whenever I'm at home, and there's no saying no to her. That's like an unwritten rule within our family."

Hinata giggled as she could easily imagine Kushina dragging Naruto out of his room forcefully to go shopping from knowing her for just a day.

"That's not funny you know. I love my mom and all but she can be quite overbearing at times, like seriously."

"It just means that she cares for you and pays you a lot of attention. Not all children have that luxury, so you should be thankful Naruto-kun."

"You're right. I would never replace my parents with any other. They are great just the way they are." Naruto admitted sincerely. "In any case, let's go find you some other more casual stuff while she brings over that dress."

Hinata agreed and the two started selecting various articles of clothing, all the way from ninja outfits to sleeping pajamas. It also gave them the opportunity to learn each other's tastes as well as getting closer just by spending time together.

While selecting various clothing to try out, Naruto noticed a rather large circular straw hat that caught his eyes. He picked it up and placed it on top of Hinata's head.

"That looks great. I think it will go perfectly with that white dress!" Naruto told her excitedly.

Hinata was curious and looked at herself in the mirror. She agreed that indeed the straw hat would go very well with the dress to even further the image of a princess.

"I'll give it a try with the dress." She replied just as excitedly while holding on to the hat near her chest. Anything Naruto picked for her was simply precious.

"I'm sorry for the wait but here's the dress." The store attendant informed the two with the white dress at hand. "Would you like me to escort you to the changing room?"

Naruto and Hinata were too occupied in browsing around the shop that they completely forgot their hands were inseparably joined together. It had almost become natural and they both appreciated the warmth of each other's touch. But now suddenly the realisation struck them that trying out new clothes would be a great ordeal in this scenario. The first hurdle would be to just get into a changing room to begin with.

"I-It's okay, I'll find the changing room myself." Hinata replied a little hesitantly.

"We're just looking around for now. Once we find a few more items to try out, I'll show her the place." Naruto came to his wife's aid and took the dress from the attendant.

"Very well then, please do call me if there are any problems." The girl answered politely before taking her leave.

"Now this is going to be an issue." Naruto raised their joined hands while they both held multiple dresses in their free hands that Hinata was interested in trying out. "I don't know how this is going to work."

"Let's find a changing room first and think about it then." Hinata suggested, to which Naruto complied.

A few seconds later the two of them were standing a distance from the changing rooms, eyeing them intently. The only problem was that they both couldn't walk in at once, especially since the rooms were meant for women.

Naruto was thinking what could possibly be done in this scenario when the coast cleared around them for a moment and Hinata took the opportunity to suddenly pull him along with great force into one of the changing rooms and locked the door behind them. The room did not have much space to spare once the two of them were in.

"H-Hinata? What are you doing?" Naruto asked out of surprise. He did not expect her to make such a bold move.

"I'm s-sorry. I just a-acted out of i-impulse." She said, but it wasn't completely the truth. Somehow she wanted a moment of intimacy like this.

"Well, it's fine. We should be able to get out without being seen if we're careful. But I think this is the real issue here…" Naruto raised their joined hands once again. "You won't be able to change with our hands connected like this."

Hinata realised that she had momentarily overlooked that one important fact while mustering up the courage to have that special moment with Naruto. But now that she was faced with reality, the thought of changing right in front of Naruto was too much for her mind to withstand as well.

"I think I have an idea. We both know at least the basic clone technique. Even if it isn't very advanced as some of the other variants, we should be able to make one right now."

"Actually, I know the shadow clone technique if that helps." Hinata added. "What are you planning?"

"That's perfect. Since we both know the shadow clone, we should be able to create one together. We Uzumaki are very good at sharing our powers. Once the clone is created, I'll apply a transformation to make it look like you. Trust me when I say this, I'm very confident in my transformation abilities." Naruto had both a resolute and a somewhat devious look on his face. He was definitely planning something. "Let's give it a try"

The two of them used their free hands to create the hand sign required for the technique and said three words in unison: "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

A poof of white smoke filled the changing room, making it impossible to see.

But Naruto wasn't done yet. He followed the last technique with yet another one: "Sexy Transformation Technique!"

The clone within the smoke transformed and as the smoke started to thin out the results of the transformation was becoming clear. An exact copy of Hinata stood before them, but as the smoke cleared further it became even clearer that she was not wearing anything.

The real Hinata's eyes were wide open and before anything else could happen, she grabbed Naruto and turned him towards herself and away from the clone.

"DON'T LOOK!" She exclaimed while firmly grasping on to him in a tight embrace with one hand. She only realised what she had done just moments later, but it was already done. So she decided to keep holding on to him but averted her gaze.

"What's the matter Hinata?" Naruto asked with a mischievous smile on his face. He had done it on purpose, not making the clone wear any clothes just to play around with her.

"W-W-Why is she not wearing a-anything?"

"Well, she's going to be changing for us anyway, so I did the transformation likewise." Naruto was having troubles holding in his laughter.

"Please wear something." Hinata now directed her words to the clone and she obliged by starting to change. At that moment, another thought came to her mind. "Actually Naruto-kun, since we created the clone together and you're the one who applied the transformation, I'm not sure if her figure will match mine exactly. This could be an issue since we're trying to see how well the clothes fit."

"You don't have to worry about that. I have all your measurements etched into my brain after last night." Naruto replied rather casually.

Hinata made a little distance between them in response and gave him a bewildered look. "W-What do you mean?"

For the first time a red tinge appeared around Naruto's face. "You were lying on top of me for the whole night and holding on to me tightly. I could fell it all and didn't get much sleep because of it."

Hinata felt like she could spontaneously combust out of embarrassment right now, so she covered her face with one hand, no longer being able to face him directly.

"I'm sorry…" She trailed off lightly, but to her surprise she felt Naruto's embrace around her this time. "W-What's the matter Naruto-kun? You seem a bit restless."

"It's just that with you this close, I…c-couldn't resist. Ever since yesterday…whenever I look at you…I get this weird feeling inside. It just makes me want to hold you close to me. Nothing like this has ever happened before. I just…don't know. I'm sorry. But I definitely appreciated every single moment we spent together so far, and I want it to continue." Naruto's words were a jumbled mess but he did his best to once again create a little distance between the two of them.

Hinata was surprised by his words and the sense of longing in his eyes. They made her happy. "It's okay if you want to hold me Naruto-kun. I would like for you to do that."

"Really?"

"Absolutely!" Hinata boldly grabbed his hand and placed it on her waist. They stared directly into each other's eyes and started to close the distance between themselves once again, this time simultaneously together.

"It's great that you're getting intimate and all, but I'm here too you know." The clone called out to the two, making them split apart quickly. "I'm done changing."

She was wearing the white dress they selected earlier along with the straw hat. To their surprise, it looked even better than they had initially envisioned. So it was an easy pick after that trial. The clone kept going and tried on the various clothes they had brought in, allowing for Hinata to select the ones that fit well. It was also fun for both her and Naruto to get to know each other's tastes during the process.

Eventually once the selections were complete, they used the clone to scout for when the area was clear before exiting the changing room just as quickly as they got in.

"What else do you need Hinata?" Naruto asked her excitedly, as he was enjoying his time with her greatly.

However, Hinata only hesitantly pointed towards the next section of the store that read "Lingerie".

"Oh snap, I completely forgot about that." Naruto did not like where this was headed, but they were stuck together. "I'll close my eyes. You lead me wherever you need to go. Let's just get it done quickly."

Naruto shut his eyes, not wanting to see the faces of all the other women looking at him. But he could feel them. As soon as he and Hinata entered that section of the store, he could feel all the unwelcome stares. It was painful but because Hinata was with him, it wasn't worse.

"Please buy whatever you need quickly. I don't know how much more of this I can take." Naruto told his wife while keeping his eyes shut tight. "You don't actually have to wear them right?"

"No, it should be fine as long as I get the standard sized ones for me." Hinata understood her husband's pain and did her best to get it over with quick, picking up the essential articles of clothing she needed as fast as possible.

But at the same time Naruto's curiosity was getting the better of him. He had never been to this area of the store before. Of course his mother would never bring him here. This place was considered to be the forbidden land by men, and Naruto was in it. He just wanted to take a quick peek. That wouldn't hurt right?

He opened one eye only to see a frilly black top that was almost completely see through due to the thin material it was made of. It would leave very little to the imagination about the wearer's figure.

"Women wear this kind of thing?" He asked Hinata out of interest. "It doesn't look like it'd do too well as an underwear."

"That is not your average u-underwear Naruto-kun. It is s-something a wife would put on to get her husband in the mood." She explained in a very shy tone.

Suddenly it all made sense to Naruto. At the same time he couldn't help but imagine Hinata in that top, and the thought nearly gave him a nosebleed. He did his best to keep his composure but couldn't help himself from staring sideways at Hinata and then back at the top.

Hinata noticed this and decided to ask him boldly, "Would you like me to wear it?"

Naruto was caught off guard and there was nothing more to hide. Thus he nodded reluctantly.

"It's natural for Naruto-kun to be interested in this stuff as a man. As your wife I need to tend to these matters. I'll take it." Perhaps even more boldly, Hinata picked up the dress and decided to buy it.

Naruto was shocked "What are you doing Hinata? You aren't actually going to wear that are you?"

Hinata was feeling too timid to look him in the eye, but she at least wanted to communicate her intentions. "I can't promise I'll be able to do it right away…but if it'll make you happy, I will do it for you eventually. I hope you'll give me a little bit of time. Because seeing you happy makes me happy."

Those words were like an arrow directly to his heart. This girl…

There was nothing he could say at this point, but just his awestruck expression was enough of a showing of gratitude for Hinata. She was glad that she managed to communicate her feelings to Naruto successfully this time.

Although they wanted to share this moment for a little bit longer, Naruto felt even more stares coming his way. He really did not feel comfortable here.

"Can we get this over with please?" He requested desperately.

"Yes I'm done. Let's go." Hinata replied and the two of them headed to the counter to buy all the clothing they had selected thus far.

The shopping continued for a while longer and once it was done, they created several clones, these one transformed into Naruto, which carried all the shopping bags they had procured back home.

The young couple were making their way out of the shopping mall when Hinata's eyes came across a bakery shop that had a tray of freshly made Cinnamon buns on display. Instantly she stopped dead on her tracks. She had been craving these sweets ever since last night.

"How many do you want me to get?" Naruto asked her as a matter of fact. "I'm thinking of buying however many Cinnamon buns they have in that store, but I don't want to overwhelm you."

"P-Please don't do that. I can't eat that many."

"What did I say when we started on our shopping trip today? That you shouldn't treat me like a stranger. Plus I promised that I would buy you as many cinnamon buns as you wanted once we were married right? I'm just keeping my word. So there's no need to be modest."

"In that case, I suppose I won't hold back." Hinata replied, and a few minutes later she was holding a large paper bag filled to the brim with cinnamon buns. Her eyes glimmered once she took in the smell of the freshly baked buns. They even looked amazing.

"There's this really nice place I know of where I go to relax when I'm tired. Would you like to come with me? I think it'd be a great place for us to sit down and eat those." Naruto suggested.

"I'd love to go." That was Hinata's simple answer. In reality she would follow Naruto anywhere in a heartbeat.

Thus the two jumped from rooftop to rooftop and exited the village within just minutes. It wasn't too long from there until they reached a large grassy field on a cliff that overlooked the sea beyond. Since the village of Uzushiogakure was located on a very large island, there were a lot of such breathtaking spots with wide panoramic views of the sea and many other smaller islands dotted within in the distance.

"So, what do you think? This place is nice right?" Naruto questioned curiously.

Hinata was so mesmerised by the view that it took a second for Naruto's question to reach her. "Nice? No, it's beautiful. This island of Uzushiogakure is unlike anywhere I've been before."

"Well yes, we are technically an island community. People live in the many islands that are scattered throughout the waters in this area." Naruto explained. "I'm just glad you like it here so far. I'll be sure to show you around more if you like."

"I look forward to it." Hinata answered sincerely.

"I think you should probably start eating while they're still fresh." Naruto insisted.

Hinata was waiting for this moment. They took a seat on a nice patch of grass as she picked out a cinnamon bun, eyed it intently for a second before taking a small bite out of it. The sweet taste sent shivers down her body and brought out a large smile on her face. Whenever she had a bad day, cinnamon buns always cheered her up. They were just so amazing on the palate.

Naruto couldn't help but smile as well from watching Hinata. "That smile of yours, it was just like the one from when we first met. It hasn't changed at all. I'm glad."

Hinata blushed lightly at his remark. "You remembered?"

"Of course, I could never forget it. This place may be nice, but it really doesn't compare to your smile."

Now Hinata's face was really starting to get red. "P-Please don't flatter me so much like that…I don't know how to respond. Instead, please try this cinnamon bun. I'd really like to share its joy with you."

"Sure, I'd love to." Naruto replied enthusiastically.

Hinata was about to pick out a new bun to give to Naruto, but he rejected it.

"I want the one you just ate." He demanded.

Hinata happily took the remaining half of the bun she had taken a bite out of earlier and fed it to Naruto.

Once he ate it, Naruto was truly surprised. "This is really good! I could get addicted to these. I don't remember cinnamon buns ever being this tasty. Perhaps it's because I'm eating it with you Hinata."

"Thank you…" She replied, her heart skipping a beat from his compliments.

As the couple enjoyed their time together, little did they know they were being watched from a distance by a masked man behind a large tree.

Tobi was writing a report on a small diary addressed to the Raikage, which read as follows:

_"Dear Raikage-sama,_

_This is my report from Uzushiogakure._

_Today I ate a bunch of Takoyaki in town. They were really delicious but nowhere near enough for my appetite. So I tried a bowl of ramen. It was the best bowl I ever had in my life. But it gave me loose motion, so I had to spend nearly half the day in the toilet. I seriously have the worst case of diarrhoea right now. You should see the mess I made of the toilet bowl. Despite this the people of Uzushiogakure were supah nice. They even gave me free medicine. I really like this place._

_OH and before you start blaming me for not doing my job properly, I'd like to say that Tobi has been a great spy. I've been tailing the targets. In fact I'm watching them right now. It's a bit awkward. They're sharing really lovey dovey moments together and to be honest I'm starting to get a bit jealous. Tobi wants a loving and caring wife too. Can you find me a good wife Raikage-sama? I'm sure you have a lot of links. Pretty plz? Anyway..._

As he was writing, Tobi suddenly realised that his targets were standing a little distance away from the tree after having caught him spying on them.

"What are you doing?" Naruto asked sternly. "You look suspicious."

"AH I'VE BEEN CAUGHT!" Tobi shouted and started to run around the tree in panic before finally calming himself down for a second. "TIME FOR THE CONTINGENCY PLAN!"

"What are you talking about? Who are you?" Naruto was even more suspicious of him now.

"MUHAHAHAHAHAHA! I've got you exactly where I want you!" Tobi laughed loudly before pulling out a button from his pocket and clicking it.

A few seconds passed but nothing happened and both parties stood confused.

"W-W-W-W-What's going on?" Tobi asked in panic as the ground below him suddenly started glowing. "Uh-oh!"

The next second a huge explosion blew up the ground under Tobi and sent him rocketing into the sky.

"LOOKS LIKE TOBI IS BLASTING OFF AGAIN!" The masked man shouted at the top of his lungs as he became a small blip in the sky and disappeared into the horizon.

"What in the actual frig did we just witness?" Naruto was just dumbfounded.

"I have no idea." Hinata was equally flabbergasted.

At that moment their hands finally separated. This made Naruto check his watch and once he did he realised that they needed to get moving fast.

"Oh snap, we're late! Dad told us to get back home a bit earlier for something important. We need to get back now. Not to mention, we have to report this incident with that masked guy as well. In any case, let's get moving quickly."

The couple made haste to return back to the Uzumaki compound to meet up with their parents. Once they returned however, they were a bit confused to find very few people present at the compound. It was weird to see the place so empty. They went straight to the clan leader's office only to find Minato waiting in anticipation for them.

"What took you two so long? I've been waiting for a while now." Minato said in a slightly frustrated tone. "In any case, we don't have much time. There is a very important task I'm about to assign to the two of you. It is an order coming directly from me, the Kazekage, and Hiashi Hyuga, the Mizukage."

"A mission?" Naruto asked out of surprise.

"Not quite yet. But it is of the utmost importance. Think of it as more of an evaluation for something much bigger to come, something that will change the course of our future." Minato elaborated. "In any case, I take it you bought the battle attire like I suggested?"

Both Naruto and Hinata nodded.

"Very well then, go lace up your boots and prepare your gear." Minato cleared his throat to make his next statement absolute. "It is time for the two of you to fight each other in a one on one battle."

* * *

The fluff is real. I've been focusing on the humor/romance side of this story for a while now, but next time we'll start moving the plot forward in a big way.

There was a small reference to a pretty popular anime somewhere in this chapter. I'l love to see if anyone picked it up.

**MootlitCritter64**: They will kiss eventually. When the time is right it'll happen.

**mds777, sagar hussain, petran, NiniCere, DASvicks63, mysteryperson**: Glad you all appreciated the humor side of things. I do enjoy writing light-hearted chapters a lot.

Other than that I hope you liked this extra long chapter. Let me know your thoughts as always and I will see you all next time :)


	19. Clash of Scions

**Clash of Scions**

* * *

Alter Hinata stood in the middle of a large open battlefield in an uninhabited island with her hands folded across her chest, eyes closed and head hung low. She wore her new battle attire - a long sleeved light blue jacket with navy blue pants. It almost looked like she was sleeping while standing, but in reality she was simply waiting for her opponent.

**Flashback Start – 30 minutes ago**

"What do you mean you want us to fight?!" Naruto asked his father in a bewildered tone. Hinata looked equally as disconcerted.

"It is as I said. Both me and her father have decided as clan leaders that this is the perfect time for the two of you to fight one another for the sake of our greater goals."

"And could you please pray tell what these "greater goals" are that require a husband and wife to fight the day after they are married?" Naruto asked back cynically.

"I understand this comes as a surprise and I promise I'll explain everything later, but right now we don't have a lot of time. Everyone is waiting to see the two of you in action. This battle will allow both clans and the various other important visitors to see exactly what the scions of the Uzumaki and Hyuga clans are capable of. In any case, this is just an exhibition match, and you don't need to go all out. So just have a friendly one on one battle with one another. I'm sure that as ninja the two of you will be able to understand one another even better by doing so."

Naruto was still not convinced however. "This is ridiculous. You can't just expect us to fight all of a sudden without even telling us why this is such a big deal. Come on dad, sometimes I really don't understand you."

"I've said this before. This marriage is a great political alliance and the two of you are our clans' best assets. There are some very important tasks that we hope for the two of you to achieve together. However, before you can be entrusted with those tasks, both of you need to be evaluated and everyone needs to understand that you are up for the task, so that they may put their faith in the both of you." Minato explained. "Anyway, this is too much vague exposition. As I said before, just have a friendly match and demonstrate your capabilities to one another. That is all."

"I still don't know about this…" Naruto replied hesitantly when he suddenly heard Hinata laughing. As he looked at his wife, he saw that her Byakugan was activated. That could only mean one thing.

"Well said Uzumaki leader. Too much vague exposition indeed, especially when it is so unnecessary." Alter Hinata told Minato with a smirk on her face before turning to Naruto. "It is simple. We fight to test our strengths. All other reasons are superfluous."

"But don't you want to know the reasons behind why we're doing this?" Naruto asked back.

"Look, from the moment we first stood face to face last night I knew that one day I'd challenge you to a fight. You are an opponent against whom I wish to test my powers. Admittedly I did not expect that time to come so quickly since I did not want to get in between you and my other self. But since our parents have already decided to set this stage up for us, there is no reason to not let the inevitable happen." Alter Hinata explained calmly before turning to Minato once again. "So, where are we meant to go?"

"Training island 1 in 30 minutes. Your father and I will be waiting outside if you wish to get changed into your battle attire. Don't keep us waiting." Minato answered as he headed out of the room.

"You heard the man Uzumaki. Be there in half an hour, for I do not enjoy waiting." Hinata ordered Naruto, this time with a much more aggressive temperament. "Do not make me come back here and drag you there by the legs."

Thus Hinata also exited the room, leaving Naruto alone by himself.

**Flashback End – Present time**

Surrounding Hinata on all sides of the wide open training field was a large group of spectators, amongst whom were many members of both the Uzumaki and Hyuga clans, as well as the members of the other clans that were in attendance at the wedding. Everyone was here to watch this battle.

"I can't believe it. Hinata-sama is actually going to fight him. The queen has descended upon the battlefield." One of the Hyuga said to his fellow clanmate in both awe and disbelief. "It isn't every day we get to see Hinata-sama in action."

"I know." The other Hyuga nodded in approval. "She looks serious as well. I don't mean to be disrespectful, but I don't know what her father was thinking arranging for this battle. At this rate she's going to break that Uzumaki in half and her marriage will be the shortest lived in our clan's history."

"I've been wondering the same thing. Are they purposefully trying to sabotage this marriage the day after it has taken place?" A third Hyuga asked.

"Even though it is a privilege to spar with Hinata-sama, her powers are ruthlessly overwhelming. This could get real ugly for that Uzumaki. I didn't think I'd ever say this but I actually kind of feel bad for him." Another Hyuga conceded reluctantly.

The Uzumaki were admittedly not happy to hear the Hyuga's commentary.

"Hey, who do you guys think you're talking about?" One of them asked their opposition irritably. "You people have no clue about Naruto's capabilities, so how about you shut your trap before making stupid comments about him?"

"That's right!" An Uzumaki girl joined in. "The young master could destroy your whole clan on his own. It doesn't matter how strong that girl you like to call your "queen" is, the young master is unparalleled in both his strength and kindness."

"Quite the bravado. I wonder if he can really back it up." A Hyuga asked with a cynical smirk.

"I can't wait until Naruto wipes that cynical smirk off your face." Another Uzumaki replied angrily.

As the situation heated up between the two clans, Naruto finally arrived on the scene and landed a few feet in front of Hinata. He was also in his battle attire - jacket and pants that were a gaudy orange in color. The audience were watching from a distance, interested to see how this battle between the newly married couple would unfold.

"Alright, we will waste no more time. As you all know a battle between Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga will now commence. Although in the past our clans have shared much hostility, this time the scions of the two clans will fight one another in a friendly match. They are husband and wife after all. We hope that through the two of them everyone will be able to appreciate what our clans will be capable of with this union. So without further ado, let's get this started." Minato announced for the battle to begin.

It was at this point alter Hinata opened her eyes and gazed at Naruto intensely. Naruto stared back at her just as fiercely, knowing that this version of Hinata was serious about the challenge.

Right on cue the two of them dashed backwards at the exact same time while preparing for their first techniques.

"Water Style: Water Bullet!" Hinata fired a condensed ball of water towards Naruto at very high speed.

"Wind Style: Air bullet!" Naruto fired back a compressed sphere of air towards Hinata at an equally high speed.

The two techniques collided, resulting in a spray of water and a torrent of winds to scatter across the battlefield. But the two combatants prepared their next techniques un-phased.

"Water Style: Water Bullet!" This time Naruto was the one to use the same technique as Hinata.

"Earth Style: Mud Wall!" Hinata pushed one hand on to the ground, causing a thick wall to rise up and block incoming attack.

The water bullet shattered the wall into pieces upon impact, but dissipated at the same time.

Hinata wasted no time and breathed out a burst of flames at her opponent. Naruto could jump away easily given his agility, but he stood in place and engulfed his body with intense electrical sparks that completely blocked the fire style technique. Although the lightning style was normally used offensively, Naruto's mastery over it was great enough that he could wield it defensively if necessary.

"Wow, Hinata can also use three different elemental styles?" Kushina was truly impressed at the display. "I thought Naruto was good for being able to do so."

"She inherited the ability to use all of those elemental techniques from me." Harumi said proudly. "You'll see why shortly."

"Naruto got the wind style from me and the lightning style from his father." Kushina replied happily. "We still don't quite know how he is so good at using water style though, but that is related to an even bigger mystery surrounding him which I'm sure you'll find out shortly as well."

In the battlefield, alter Hinata smiled in joy.

"This is fun. REALLY FUN! I knew you'd be good and so far you've not disappointed." She said to Naruto with one of the happiest expressions ever. "But I won't be satisfied with just some childish sparring. So let's cut straight to the real action."

"I was hoping you'd say that. If we're fighting then I'd much rather test myself. Have some fun while I'm at it. After all, I can't find myself an opponent like you every day." Naruto replied with an equally confrontational smile. "MASS SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!"

Upon his command, hundreds of shadow clones filled up the entire battlefield to the brim, so much so that they couldn't even be counted.

Hinata's smile became even wider. She was truly enjoying herself now while facing the overwhelming odds.

"The stage has finally been set. Let us dance together in this field of battle Uzumaki." She announced to her now hundreds of opponents before jumping straight upwards into the air. "Water Style: Hidden Mist Technique!"

Hinata breathed out a thick mist on to the ground below that instantly engulfed the entire area, obscuring everything in sight. As she came back down she readied herself to perform one of the Hyuga's signature techniques.

"Gentle Fist Art: 64 Palms!" Hinata landed on the ground and started attacking the clones in her vicinity with a barrage of deadly and accurate strikes of her fingers that popped them out of existence instantly at hit. The clones could not see anything because of the thick mist but the Byakugan's X-ray like vision revealed everything to her. Thus Hinata continued until she finished delivering all 64 hits in the midst of chaos.

It was at this moment that a powerful gust of wind blew the entire battlefield clean of the mist, revealing Hinata's position amidst the hundreds of clones.

"There's nowhere to hide anymore. We've got you now." One of the clones that used the wind style technique announced to Hinata in a triumphant tone.

"I'd like to see you try. COME AT ME!" Hinata proclaimed fiercely. "Gentle Fist Art: 128 Palms!"

She charged straight at the clones and started landing even more strikes, this time doubling the total hit count. Even though Hinata was now clearly visible in the open, her body was so agile and flexible that she evaded every punch and kick with ease while landing her own with great precision. This was compounded even further by the near 360 degree vision of her Byakugan which allowed her to anticipate her opponents' movements from every direction. When all of her abilities were put into action, it looked almost as though she was gracefully dancing around the battlefield while devastating her opponents, tearing through clones like a hot knife through butter. It was truly a sight to behold, and before long she had landed all 128 hits. But despite her incredible string of attacks, she had only dispatched about half the total number of clones. Naruto's clones almost felt like an unending force at this point.

"She's finished with her technique. Now's our time to CHARGE!" One of the clones ordered to the rest and instantly they all rushed towards their singular target.

"Let's kick things up to the next level." Hinata replied while preparing the stance for her next technique. "Gentle Fist Art: 256 Palms!"

Thus the massacre of the clones continued.

"Wow, despite landing 64 palms followed by 128 palms she has only managed to take out about half the clones. I have never seen or heard of anyone being able to use this many clones in battles. It is almost like fighting an entire battalion. The sheer number of ninja arts he can use at once may just be unparalleled." Hiashi said to Minato while in awe of the young Uzumaki's abilities.

"Naruto's specialty is the fact that he overwhelms his opponents with sheer force and numbers. No one else in the Uzumaki clan is capable of doing it like he does." Minato replied proudly, but now looked over to his son's opponent in admiration. "But I have to say, Hinata is something else. I've never seen Naruto struggle so much in hand to hand combat against anyone. His only hope is that the numbers game will eventually catch up to her."

"Well, as you know already the Hyuga's fighting style is generally defensive in nature, using our eyes' long distance viewing capabilities to keep our enemies at bay. On top of that the gentle fist is an offensive style that aims to precisely attack certain pressure points on the opponent's nervous system to temporarily paralyze parts of their body and even stop them from using ninja arts. Although the gentle fist is meant to be a complement to our unbreakable defence, Hinata has a somewhat different philosophy. She believes that the best defence is a good offense." Hiashi explained and it showed in how aggressively his daughter pursued her foes.

On the battlefield the clones and Hinata were locked in an intense close quarters combat. Hinata backflipped over a clone and landed behind it gracefully, grabbing its collar and throwing it straight at ten more clones, popping them all at once.

Eventually after completing all 256 hits and employing her expertise of high level hand to hand combat, Hinata took out what appeared to be every single clone, leaving only one Naruto.

However, Naruto did not give her a moment's relief as he charged at her with a spherical blue energy ball in one hand. "RASENGAN!"

"ROTATION!" Hinata countered with one of the Hyuga's signature defensive technique, creating a blue dome around her that blocked the attack.

Both techniques dissipated at the exact same time after the fierce clash but Naruto instantly formed yet another rasengan on his other spare hand, ready to catch Hinata in point blank range.

"GENTLE FIST ART: 64 PALMS GUARD!" Hinata's started to move her body in a way that almost resembled some form of elegant dance and it created yet another blue dome around her, but this one not only protected her but also bounced back Naruto's attack, sending him several feet backwards from the recoil.

Both Naruto and Hinata looked at one another and wanted to make a decisive move after having such an extended bout.

"How about we try a one shot finish?" Naruto asked her while panting.

"That's what I was hoping you'd say." Hinata replied while catching whatever little breath she could before they both rushed at one another. "Gentle Fist Art: Force Palm!"

Hinata charged up her right palm with a blue aura that had the power to stagger and immobilise her opponent instantly if it landed on their weak spot. She threw her arm at Naruto but just at the last moment he sidestepped away from it.

"I've got you now!" Naruto exclaimed with a smile on his face as he touched her midsection with his right hand. "Ice Release: Glaciate!"

Instantly, Hinata's entire body was frozen solid within a large block of ice.

"The power that I unlocked when we first met. The power that I used to protect you back then. It has now become your undoing." Naruto said while landing behind Hinata who was now frozen in place.

Elsewhere, Hiashi was in utter disbelief. "ICE RELEASE?! I did not know the Uzumaki had such a bloodline related ability. Or perhaps it is from the Namikaze? But I've never heard of such a thing."

Minato shook his head sideways in response. "The ice release is not a bloodline limit of the Uzumaki or the Namikaze. It is a style that is exclusive to Naruto alone. No one else as far as we know can perform it other than him, and we still have not found out how exactly he is able to use it. Since the constituents of the ice release are water and wind, he is able to use both of those as well."

"While the ice release is certainly very fascinating, unfortunately for Naruto Hinata has a second bloodline limit beside the Byakugan that she has inherited from my Terumi lineage which is the complete antithesis to the ice release – the Lava Release." Harumi explained while pointing at her daughter who was stuck within the massive slab of ice.

Sure enough Hinata's body started to turn back into lava given that it was actually a lava clone, causing the ice around it melt instantly. Hot magma rapidly poured out of where Hinata once stood causing Naruto to jump backwards in precaution. He sent a stream of cold water from his mouth in an attempt to stop the lava from expanding, but the water meeting the lava caused a thick white smoke to engulf the battlefield.

Naruto quickly realised that he was at a major disadvantage with the smoke blocking his view and blew it away instantly with a burst of wind, but it was already too late. Hinata was now at point blank range with a blue spiralling sphere within the palms of her two hands.

"RASENGAN!" She shouted while shoving the sphere straight into Naruto, sending him flying backwards and then crashing into the ground. "How does it feel Uzumaki, to have your own technique used against you? Ever since I first saw you use this ten years ago, I remembered it and trained relentlessly until I finally figured out how to use it. The rasengan, the Uzumaki clan's signature technique is now a part of my arsenal as well."

"Amazing! So you learned the rasengan just by watching me use it as a kid. I thought I was good for mastering such a complex technique at the age of only 9, but you've just one upped me on that front. I suppose I REALLY need to get serious now." Just as he said so Naruto's body turned into ice and melted away since it was an ice clone all along.

The real Naruto appeared in front of the real Hinata with a poof of smoke. Thus they were back at square one, neither of them close to being defeated.

"You are a worthy opponent Uzumaki." Hinata complimented him genuinely. "I can't remember the last time I gained this much enjoyment from sparring with someone. I would like for this to continue."

"I feel exactly the same way." Naruto replied sincerely. "I may have seemed a bit apprehensive about us fighting earlier, but now I think it was a great idea. You're really strong, and I haven't had this much fun in ages. I want to keep going as well."

Unlike the two combatants the spectators had already seen more than they had expected.

"I guess this is a good place to end. I hope you all appreciate the power…" Just as Minato was about to give his finishing speech he felt two overwhelming presences overtake the entire training island.

"ASCENDANT BYAKUGAN!"

"SAGE MODE!"

Thus the fight was only getting started and an orange fox now observed the couple from afar with even greater intrigue than before.

* * *

Next time the fox makes a move. It should be interesting to say the least. I'm curious though, between Naruto and Hinata is there any one you'd prefer to win the fight? Or perhaps a draw?

**theophilusrex, Azrael-Von-Gruber, YamiChaos27, JD98, Mds777, Chewie Cookies, Otaku of Anime, grimreaper40045** \- That's quite a lot of people who caught on to the reference from last time. Really nice to see :)

I suppose I'll answer two questions that I've gotten quite a lot. The first is about how long this story will be. Simply put, we've barely just started. The second question is about why Minato is called Kazekage rather than Uzukage. That will be explained within a couple of chapters.

As always let me know your thoughts on the battle. I'd love to hear them. And I shall see you all next time with some new twists and turns.


	20. Clash of Generations

**Clash of Generations**

I've been waiting to write this chapter for a while now. You'll see why.

* * *

Hinata's eyes caused the gravity on the island to escalate, while Naruto's sage mode made the very air around them to become heavy and overbearing. Their effects combined made for a devastating combination under which the simple task of remaining standing on one's two feet was an achievement worthy of accolade. Every single spectator apart from Minato and Hiashi were swiftly brought down to their hands and knees, even the slightest movement becoming a difficult task.

"This is…too much. I can't move." One of the Hyuga uttered in distress. "This can only be the Queen's Gaze!"

"I can't believe that Hinata-sama…no…the queen would use her eyes." Another Hyuga said in disbelief. "Is that man truly so powerful that he is worthy of the queen's gaze?"

"There is no doubt about it. That Uzumaki is on a level beyond that we can imagine." An older Hyuga conceded. "He may very well be on par with Hinata-sama if he is able to remain standing in the queen's gaze."

On the other hand the Uzumaki clan was also in shock.

"Naruto actually became a sage? He faced an opponent strong enough that he deemed sage mode necessary?" One of Naruto's clan members asked the others.

His friend nodded in agreement. "So it would seem, and perhaps even more shocking is the fact that the one he is fighting is standing in front of him un-phased."

"As a sage Naruto could end a battle in a matter of seconds, yet she is effortlessly staring at him. I think I finally understand the Hyuga's fear and obedience towards the one whom they call their queen. Her powers may very well be beyond our reach and on a level that can rival Naruto's." One of the Uzumaki came to a bitter conclusion.

Naruto and Hinata faced one another in their new forms, assessing each other in detail. A confrontation of such incredible powers was seldom seen amongst ninja.

"I see. You're normally considered the Hyuga's princess, yet in this form they refer to you as their queen. Quite the interesting naming convention." Naruto said with a smile. "I can feel it as well, your powers. Nature is telling me that you're controlling one of its forces. An impressive feat indeed."

"You seem to have become quite perceptive. Perhaps this is one of your sage abilities?" Hinata asked inquisitively.

"In its most basic form, a sage is a person who can use nature's powers. However, a "True Sage" is one who doesn't simply use nature's powers, but is rather a part of it. I have surpassed the base sage form a long time ago, reaching closer to the pinnacle of a True Sage's abilities. In my current form however, which some like to refer to as a "Great Sage", I have melded myself with nature. Unlike you who manipulate a force of nature, nature itself fights alongside me, lending me its powers." Naruto explained in a very abstract manner. "Enough about me though. Now that we're standing face to face in our final forms, I remember this one statement our ancestor told me when we first met ten years ago: **"In a broken fortress at the heart of a distant land lies the wish-maker, and it is your task to grant that wish-maker's wish."**

"At the time I had absolutely no idea what he meant, but now I finally understand." Naruto continued. "He was referring to the Hyuga as the broken fortress, and you were the wish-maker, or more accurately your true self. He was urging me to protect your true self."

Alter Hinata was surprised to hear Naruto's analysis. She remembered back to the day she was born and before she had taken form, her true self had initially wished for Naruto to protect her.

"Perhaps you are correct Uzumaki. Even though I do not trust that man, perhaps he knew something from the very beginning. Perhaps if you were there to protect my true self from the Hyuga, I wouldn't be here right now. But there are a lot "perhaps" attached to these scenarios. Therefore it is better to let bygones be bygones." Alter Hinata suggested to Naruto. "Right now, prove to me how you intend to protect my true self using the powers that I sensed when we first met. In return I shall show you what I am truly capable of."

Naruto simply nodded in response. "Very well then. I accept your proposition."

Hinata stood in place but focused her eyes with great intensity, causing the entire island to start shaking in response. "Gravitational Instability! I WILL TEAR THIS GROUND ASUNDER!"

True to her words, the land in which they stood started to crack under the intense fluctuating gravity caused by her eyes.

While most people on the island now started to fear for their wellbeing, Naruto simply stood in place amidst the earthquake, finally raising one hand above his head. "SAGE ART: STORMBRINGER!"

Just on cue, the winds around the island started to turn incredibly violent and the weather was becoming overcast. A storm was shortly going to hit the island and the gusts of wind that flowed through were so sharp and powerful that they were cutting through the ground like knife through butter.

Just as the situation was about to escalate, both Naruto and Hinata saw two people appear in front of them and grab their hands.

"That's enough!" Hiashi said to his daughter in a very serious tone, staring unflinchingly at her with the same ascendant eyes.

"The two of you must stop now!" Minato warned Naruto while assuming his own sage mode. "At this rate you're going to destroy this whole island."

Both Naruto and Hinata surveyed the situation and realised that there were many spectators present on the island with them. If they truly clashed at full power there was no telling the level of destruction it would cause. Therefore, reluctantly, they decided to stop, causing the mayhem around the island to calm down slowly. They were going to return to their normal forms as well, but just at that moment they both detected something severe.

"You felt that right!?" Naruto asked Hinata urgently.

"I did!" She replied immediately. "We must give chase. I'll take the aerial route. You take the lower one."

"Sounds good." Naruto nodded in agreement. "Watch for my signal from below to attack."

Hinata manipulated the gravity around her to lift her body off the ground and shoot herself right up into the sky. Once she reached cloud level she surveyed the area below to locate her target with her Byakugan's telescopic vision and sped towards it through the sky above.

Naruto on the other hand located the position of the disturbance using his sage mode. He then used the air around him to float a few feet above the ground and then dashed through the air towards the target at breakneck speed.

"DARN IT, they caught on to me!" The orange fox whispered angrily to itself as it exited the island and run like wild over the surface of the water.

But Naruto and Hinata were hot on its trail, one right behind it and one from on high. They were locked on and quickly gaining on it.

"There's nowhere to run." Naruto shouted while pointing his index finger at the fox.

"Time to capture it!" Hinata saw the signal and came diagonally downwards, using the pull of gravity to increase her speed even further.

Within a matter of seconds both Naruto and Hinata were near one another and almost caught up to the fox.

"_I didn't think I'd have to start this so early, but I have no choice. HERE GOES!"_ The fox raised its long tail into the air and a bright flash of orange light overtook the entire area, blinding both Naruto and Hinata and stopping them dead in their tracks.

When the light dissipated and the couple regained their bearings, there were now two new people standing in front of Naruto and Hinata who looked to be about the same age as them. The boy had blue eyes and blonde hair that were strikingly similar to Naruto, the only difference being that his hair was a little wavier and a single yet noticeable lock of hair stuck out from the top of his head. The girl standing next to him resembled Hinata greatly with her dark blue hair and white eyes, the differences being that her hair was much shorter and she also had a single big lock of hair sticking out of the top of her head.

The two newcomers looked lost, not knowing where they currently were before turning towards one another. Instantly their eyes widened in shock.

"Nii-san…" The girl whispered with a stunned look.

"Imouto…" The boy whispered back in disbelief.

"NII-SAN!" This time she threw herself onto her older brother and grasped him with all the strength she could muster, no longer being able to hold back her tears. "It really is you Nii-san!"

"IMOUTO!" He hugged his little sister back and patted her on the head just like old times. "We finally meet after so many years yet the first thing I see is my little sister's crying face? It seems my cry baby sister hasn't changed one bit."

"That's not true at all. I didn't mean to cry. I always planned to greet you with a smile when we finally met once again. But seeing nii-san after all these years…I just couldn't hold them back." The younger sister did her best to wipe away her tears and greeted her brother with a heartfelt smile, one that very much resembled Hinata's.

"Even though the circumstances are unexpected, I'm glad that we reunited. I've been waiting a long time for this day." He replied with a large grin across his face that was very similar to Naruto's signature one.

The younger sister took a step back and observed her older brother with keen eyes. "Wow Nii-san, you've really become handsome over the past decade. I bet women must flock to you in droves."

"Come on, stop trying to embarrass me. I think you're the one who has grown. I don't know how I can come to terms with my once cute and shy little sister becoming a woman."

"You always treated me like a little kid. So I'm glad that you at least see me as a grown up now." She responded happily, at which point an article of clothing that her brother was wearing caught her eyes. "Nii-san, that haori you're wearing, isn't that father's? You already look so much like him, yet that jacket really seals the deal. You're almost his carbon copy."

Upon hearing mention of their father, the older brother's face became sombre. "I did inherit this haori when I took over his position, but why did you have to bring up the old man? He is the reason why the two of us were separated in the first place. He sent us to the opposite ends of the world when the only real family we had left were each other. He was a deadbeat father."

The younger sister now also assumed a saddened expression. "That's not true Nii-san. You know it's not true. Our father was a hero. He was a legend. He fought and died protecting this world from evil. As his children he entrusted us to carry forward his legacy and complete the tasks he couldn't finish. Although it meant that the two of us had to separate and live with two clans in very distant lands, but I still believe that our father was a true hero who protected everyone."

"I don't care if he was a hero or a legend or whatever. To me he was just a negligent father who couldn't be bothered to pay attention to his children. That is why we only had each other from the very beginning since childhood."

The younger sister truly felt pained after hearing her brother's words. She loved her father even to this day. "I don't think it's his fault nii-san. Father had to shoulder an unimaginable burden all by himself. There was no one to share it with him. Perhaps if our mother was still with us things would have been different."

"But that's the most frustrating part." He countered. "All we know about our mother is that she was a Hyuga and that she died shortly after giving birth to us. No matter how many times we asked, father never gave us any more details, about how she died or what happened during that time."

The younger sister hung her head low in depression. She hated confronting the truth about her parents. All she ever wanted was a loving family. She just wanted to love them all and be loved back. Yet it just wasn't meant to be.

"Now that I think about it, taking everything into consideration, I don't know if father even cared about our mother at all." Her brother continued to her dismay. "It seems all he cared about was making sure that the Hyuga's Byakugan was passed on to one of his children so that he could then use us for his purposes. If that was his reason behind marrying our mother then he definitely succeeded because even if I didn't inherit those eyes, you sure did!"

That was all the girl could take. Without even thinking, she inadvertently raised her hand and slapped her brother across the face.

There was a moment of silence.

The blonde haired boy could only hold his face in shock. It wasn't that it hurt, but rather the magnitude of her action left him in awe. "You hit me. My little sister actually slapped me. I can't believe it."

"Forgive me nii-san! That was not my intention." She apologised sincerely. "I just didn't want you to talk like that about father. I still remember it. Whenever he spoke of our mother I could see the pain in his eyes. I truly believe he had a good reason for not elaborating on the circumstances surrounding our mother."

"If my shy and cute sister has gotten this bold, then perhaps I really don't have much to worry about. I'm glad that you've learned to stand up for yourself." The older brother replied with a smile. "And I suppose I said too much about our old man. He did die protecting everyone, or so they say. Perhaps I'm just sad that we never got to meet our mother and I was angry at him for not telling us more regarding the matter, even though that's not necessarily the correct response."

"I'm glad you understand how I feel nii-san. I know that deep inside you don't actually hate our father. Speaking of mother though, take a look at this…" The younger sister now brought her brother's attention at the cloak she was wearing, one that had the Hyuga's insignia engraved on the back. "This is one of the last remaining relics of our mother. This was the cloak she used to wear."

"Are you serious? This belonged to our mother? GIMME THAT! I'll trade you father's haori that I'm wearing right now for it."

"Get out of here!" The sister replied defensively while grabbing on to her cloak. "I would never give away this cloak, EVER! I'll cherish it forever. It's the only thing left over from our mother after all."

"Well, father did once say that you resembled our mother a lot, so it's only fair that you get to keep her cloak. Plus it doesn't matter which of us has it as long as we cherish it. We're siblings after all." The brother said while patting his sister on the head before finally shifting his attention to the two people who were watching them curiously for all this time. "I think we've had enough of this sentimental reunion. It is about time we took care of business with them."

"There is something very intriguing about the two of you. Introducing yourselves would be a good start." Hinata suggested curtly.

"Ah yes, I apologise. We should have introduced ourselves from the very beginning." The blonde young man turned around and pointed at the spiral symbol at the back of his haori. "As you can see from that insignia, I'm the leader of the Uzumaki clan, a position I've taken over after our father."

"I'm a Hyuga, as you may have guessed from my eyes and the crest on my cloak." The sister added. "I wish I could say the same thing as Nii-san, but unfortunately the situation with the Hyuga is a bit complicated."

"In any case, we cannot let you pass." The brother stated in a very serious tone.

"Unfortunately for the two of you, we do need to pass, even if that means going through you both." Naruto responded in an equally serious tone.

"I guess in that case we have no choice but to fight." The blonde replied curtly as he hung his head low for a moment before bringing it back up once again, which now showed the signs of his transformation. "SAGE MODE!"

"If this is nii-san's choice then I'll fight alongside him." The blue haired girl stated resolutely with her eyes closed. When she opened them, the veins in her temples bulged visibly and there were now small black pupils in the middle of her white eyes. "ASCENDANT BYAKUGAN!"

Thus, within moments, the union turned into a fierce mirrored confrontation.

* * *

Now we're really getting into the thick of things.

I guess I'll leave everyone with the big question of who exactly are the newcomers? I will say this though that there is a certain discrepancy about the encounter that's actually a plot point. I wonder if anyone came across it.

I'd love to hear your guesses. Until next time, Sayonara!


	21. Boruto & Himawari Part 1

**Boruto &amp; Himawari Part 1**

It's been a little while since I last updated, but this past week has been crazy. Japan decided to drop the triple gigaton bombs at E3 known as The Last Guardian, Final Fantasy 7 and Shenmue 3. My body was clearly not ready. But at least now if anyone ever tells you that hopes and dreams do not come true, you can point them towards E3 2015. Haha, let's get on with the show.

* * *

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki and she is Hinata Hyuga. You haven't told us your names yet." Naruto reminded the two siblings. "Something about you two is completely off. Neither of us recognises you even though you claim to be from our clans. I'd at least like to know your names."

"I'm Boruto. Boruto Uzumaki." The brother replied with his serious sage's demeanour.

"My name is Himawari. Himawari Hyuga." The sister added, peering emotionlessly with her now ascended eyes. "Despite our family names or how we look, we're definitely blood related siblings."

The names of the siblings struck out as odd as to Naruto and Hinata, especially considering that there were no one currently within their clans with those names. But the siblings had an even bigger issue at hand.

"Those eyes…" Boruto was shocked to see his sister's eyes, but it quickly changed into a look of anger. "For you to have activated them…the pain you must have suffered…the Hyuga must have treated you like trash. No…much worse than that. WHAT EXACTLY DID THEY DO TO YOU?!"

Himawari could not bring herself to look at her brother. She did not want to relive the memories of her suffering. "I'm sorry Nii-san. I could no longer hide my excruciating past with the Hyuga behind the fake cheerful demeanour. I'm not what I once used to be. These eyes tell the truth. They are a manifestation of my pain."

Boruto clenched his fists so hard that his fingers dug into his flesh and blood started dripping from his hands. Sparks of lightning surged across his body and coursed through the air and water around him. He was reaching his absolute boiling point.

"THAT FATHER OF OURS, HE KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN! HE MUST HAVE KNOWN THE HYUGA WOULD PUSH YOU TO THE BRINK GIVEN WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN THEM! YET DESPITE ALL THAT HE SENT YOU TO THEM! MY FEARS HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN REALISED IN THEIR WORST FORM!" Boruto shouted at the top of his lungs.

"My pain is my strength Nii-san. It will allow me to bring about the great change that father spoke of."

"That is enough Himawari. There is no longer any need for you to suffer at the hands of the Hyuga. Come back with me. The Uzumaki will accept you with open arms as my sister and as one of them. As your older brother I will take care of the rest."

His sister shook her head in response. "I'm afraid I cannot do that. Our father had a dream that I wish to make a reality. As a Hyuga even our mother must have felt the same way as him. To fulfil their wills, I will do whatever it takes. That is my resolve."

"I don't care what father wished for. I don't care if our mother was a Hyuga. I will make the Hyuga pay for what they've done to my little sister. I won't let them get away with their transgressions."

"We can speak about this matter later. For now let us take care of the two that stand before us. We've kept them waiting for far too long." Himawari advised her brother.

"Very well then. As much as I may dislike some of the choices that our father made, I have to admit that he was strong. Therefore, I'll take a page out of his book this time to ensure victory." Boruto outstretched his hands to the side, forming two rasengan within them before dashing forward towards Naruto at full speed. Naruto wasted no time either, creating two rasengan of his own to counter Boruto.

"If it is father's technique then I won't lose either." Himawari also created a rasengan within the palms of her two hands and flew straight at her adversary. Hinata, going by her philosophy of an eye for an eye also countered with her own rasengan.

Thus, it was a severe clash of just one technique – the rasengan. Both sides pushed hard but it did not take long before one side started to overpower the other.

"You defeat me in a head to head clash? You're ten years too early." Boruto said with a smirk as he started to push Naruto back with the sheer force of his rasengan.

"My pain is greater than yours. As such my powers are greater as well." Himawari asserted in a monotone, but her attack was so powerful that it caused Hinata's rasengan to start to fluctuate out of control.

Neither Naruto nor Hinata were about to give up. In the face of overwhelming odds they tried to push back even harder. But right at that moment when one side was about to come out on top, another bright orange flash overcame everyone's vision and once it cleared the siblings had disappeared, almost as though they weren't real at all. Naruto and Hinata were in shock as they dropped on to their knees from the intensity of the encounter. They looked at each other bewildered, not knowing what just happened. It was all so real and vivid, yet the two siblings disappeared so inexplicably.

"They were here right in front of our eyes just seconds ago. Where did they go?" Naruto was the first to ask.

"I'm wondering how they managed to just vanish from in front us like that. If it's a technique, I've never seen anything like it before." Hinata was equally confused. "It's a shame really. They were quite strong. I would have liked to see where that confrontation would have taken us."

"It's not just that either. Even though I've never seen them before, there was this air of importance around them, one that I just couldn't quite touch. Who were they? How did they just appear and then disappear so spontaneously?" Just as Naruto finished asking those questions, his father along with Hiashi arrived on the scene.

"Why did you two run off like that? What's happening?" Minato asked out of concern.

"It looked like you were chasing after something." Hiashi added.

"We were just facing off against two people. Did you not notice them? They were quite strong." Hinata questioned their parents curiously.

Minato and Hiashi shared a perplexed glance.

"All I sensed were the two of you, and I was in my sage mode as well." Minato replied before turning to Hiashi. "Did you see anyone besides the two of them?"

"No, even with my Ascendant Byakugan all I saw was the two of them and no one else."

"That's odd." Minato took a moment to think things through. "Are you sure you weren't caught in a genjutsu or something?"

"I don't know." Hinata replied. "Everything felt so real..."

Even though Naruto was considering it a possibility, there was an even more important question he had in mind for his father. "You asked me to name my son, if I had one, Boruto. Tell me something dad, what importance does the name Boruto have to you?"

Minato was a bit taken aback by the question. He didn't expect Naruto to go so in depth in regards to that name. Regardless he decided to elaborate. "Boruto was a name, or perhaps an insignia that is etched into many of the ancient scrolls of the Uzumaki clan which detail much of our clan specific techniques. Without this person who used the word Boruto as his identifier passing down all of our techniques from the past, the Uzumaki clan would not be where it is in terms of our strength. Judging from the number of techniques he knew, he may have been the strongest of the Uzumaki clan, second only to the hero of yore, your ancestor, the very first sage. Even the legendary scroll containing the details of how to perform our clan's signature technique, the rasengan, has the name "Boruto" scribbled on it, even though the creation of the technique is explicitly attributed in the scroll to the hero himself. On a more personal level, this person was also the one who originally created much of the space-time and lightning based techniques I'm so well known for now and I thought the name Boruto would be very fitting for one who used such techniques."

Naruto took a second to absorb all of that information. He had no idea the name Boruto had such a legacy within his clan. He was trying to link all of that information back to the person he encountered just moments ago who had the same name.

Naruto's enquiry piqued Hinata's interest and also prompted her to ask her father the same question. "What about you father? What made you come up with the name Himawari for your grandchild?"

"Surely you must have heard of the Chronicles of Himawari." Hiashi was surprised to see Hinata's blank expression, but regardless decided to explain. "This is one of the legends that have been passed on through our clan for generations. Recall the story of your ancestor, the one whose special eyes you have inherited, the Ascendant Byakugan. He was a traitor who used the special powers of his eyes to tear our clan apart, bringing it down to its knees. In the wake of the destruction caused by the traitor, the Hyuga clan was in disarray and hostility ensued within, as many of its members aggressively sought power. The strong amongst the Hyuga started to use some of the traitor's techniques such as the Caged Bird Seal to essentially enslave the weak as opposed to helping them grow. This created a great rift within the clan and gave rise to two segments, the main and the branch houses. The main house ruled over the branch house with force and treated them lesser than servants, torturing them into servitude. The Hyuga became fractured beyond belief and taking advantage of this mess one of our great enemies prepared an all-out attack to bring about an end to our clan. The enemy was strong and our clan would not be able to face up to the challenge, but it was during this time that a certain person took to the helm. This person tore down the walls between the main and branch houses, uniting the clan once again into one single unit. Under their command and to face up to the enemy that threatened our existence, every Hyuga stood side by side under one banner known as "Himawari". Thus began what is known in our clan's history as the age of the sunflower, our golden age. During this time the Hyuga prospered unlike ever before and every single member worked together to ensure the clan's survival against our enemies. Under the banner of Himawari, the Hyuga established itself as one of the strongest clans to have ever existed. Even though the Hyuga aren't as strong or united now as it was during the age of the sunflower, the stories of that time are still passed on through our clan as the "Chronicles of Himawari" in the hopes that one day we may return to that success once more. That is where is got the name for my grandchild."

Hinata had heard some parts of this story when she was younger, but never had she heard the complete account. To think the name Himawari had such a hefty meaning behind it was not something she expected. Nonetheless, Hinata now tried to find any possible links between the story her father told her and the person she met earlier that had the same name.

Minato cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Alright, enough of the story time. Me and Hyuga-san need to return to the training island to make sure everyone's okay. That being said you two really put on a great fight for everyone to see. There should be no doubt in anyone's mind now about the two of your potential. I'm sure even the members of the Hyuga and Uzumaki clans gained an appreciation for the two of you. I think that's a great win even if the island is destroyed in the process. In any case, there is much we need to discuss in regards to the task you must complete together. So you two should return to the compound and get refreshed. Once we return we'll have a very important meeting about our future."

"See you shortly." Hiashi added as both he and Minato left to return to the training island leaving Naruto and Hinata behind.

At the same time, in a distant uninhabited island…

The orange fox had finally run far enough so that it could no longer be detected. Thus it let out a sigh of relief and decided to take a moment's rest. But suddenly the fox felt a presence around him even though visually there was no one around.

"So we meet once again, Kitsune-san." A voice said in a jubilant tone. "Long time no see my good old friend."

"YOU!" The fox shouted in shock. "We could hardly be called friends."

"Come on, what's with acting so distant? I know it's been 10 years since we last met but what's a decade to the two of us?" The voice continued on casually. "So it would seem you've been busy observing the Uzumaki and the Hyuga all this time. How long has it been now? But it has finally happened once again, a union between the Uzumaki and the Hyuga. I hope you're not taking sole credit for this union either. I know you took the initiative to orchestrate Naruto and Hinata's original meeting, but I did my part too during that time if you remember."

"What of it?" The fox asked with frustration evident in its voice.

"The fact that the two of us have converged once again at the same place can only mean one thing, that history is about to repeat itself. Even you seem to be quite aware of the fact given that you're trying to tell them the origin story about the Uzumaki and the Hyuga. The story of Boruto and Himawari, one that perhaps only you and I know in this period of time."

The fox appeared to be deep in thought for a second, reflecting on his actions. "Indeed, as the descendants of that man and the true inheritors of his powers I believe they should know about how it began. This is the method I've chosen to relay that story, for better or for worse."

"Let me make this clear. Do as you please, but don't get in my way." The voice now took on a darker tone. "I'm sure you have your own reasons for chasing after Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Hinata. Similarly, I have mine."

"And whatever could that be?" The fox questioned inquisitively.

The voice laughed loudly. "Who do you insist on asking a question you already know the answer to? The two of them have the key that I seek. It may take 5 years for that key to manifest, or even a decade, but the time required is inconsequential given how long I have waited. Eventually I will have that key from them."

"And your motives?" The fox questioned once again.

"Again, you pretend as though you don't know me. History will repeat itself. That much is inevitable. Until that time arrives, I will be waiting. Let us meet again…soon."

Thus, just as abruptly as the voice appeared, it also disappeared, leaving the fox to plan its future course of actions.

Back in the middle of the waters…

Naruto and Hinata had just come to grips with the wild string of events that transpired. Although there was much to think about in regards to everything that happened, for the time being they were ready to move on to the meeting with their parents, deactivating their sage mode and ascendant Byakugan.

"It is unfortunate we didn't get to finish our bout, but while it lasted I greatly appreciated it." Alter Hinata complimented sincerely much to Naruto's surprise. "One day we'll fight with no holds barred, for you are an opponent worthy of my true power."

"I look forward to it too, now more so than ever before. You are amazing Hinata!" Naruto replied wholeheartedly with a massive grin across his face.

Although it was barely visible, there was the slightest of a red tinge on alter Hinata's face. She didn't know what it was but something made it difficult for her to look at Naruto directly.

"Strong yet kind. I always thought those traits were mutually exclusive, but you have proven me wrong. I think I'm starting to see now why my other self took a liking towards you so many years ago. She saw you for who you truly were and not just an Uzumaki." She whispered the next part too quietly for Naruto to hear. "Perhaps I'm starting to…"

She shocked herself with her own thoughts and appeared flustered despite her normally hardened demeanour.

"What's the matter?" Naruto asked her out of concern, breaking her out of her trance. "Is anything wrong?"

"Not at all!" She replied quickly, trying her best to get back to her usual self. "I didn't think such a day would come, but next time I hope to stand beside you not as an adversary, but as an ally. Not only just me either. If you so require it, I will make sure that the Hyuga will grant you their strength as well."

Naruto was a little surprised to hear her words, but he was thankful to her. "I'll make sure that the Uzumaki will accept you as well. With our powers combined we can achieve some great feats. I'll be counting on you Hinata. But then again that's a given. It's only natural for a husband and wife to stand beside one another, for they are the greatest of allies."

Alter Hinata knew that Naruto was probably casually referring to her true self and himself being husband and wife, but something about the thought of being a couple really caught her off guard for the very first time. These were emotions she hadn't felt before and did not know even existed. Her face was got visibly redder and she did not want Naruto to look at her right now. To her dismay however, she found Naruto's face right in front of her. He had somehow managed to move in close while she was enveloped in her own thoughts.

"Something is definitely wrong. Are you sure you're okay?" He asked yet again out of concern.

Alter Hinata pushed him strongly out of instinct, but the sudden haphazard movement caused her to lose her footing and fall on to Naruto. The two took a tumble down into the water below.

When their vision cleared underwater, Naruto found that the real Hinata was back once again as her Byakugan was no longer active. They were also holding on to each other tightly and their chests were pressed against one another. An unforgettable sensation from last night overcame Naruto once again.

This time however, Hinata also felt it and it was too much for her to take so suddenly. Thus she promptly fainted underwater.

Within seconds Naruto emerged out of the water with Hinata in his hands. He was worried at first but upon checking up on her she appeared to be just fine. She had just lost consciousness. Given that they were both soaking wet, Naruto rushed back to the Uzumaki compound while carrying Hinata bridal style in his arms.

* * *

So yes, Boruto and Himawari will play a very important role in the story. Last time many of you guessed their names correctly, but I wonder if you still think their identities are the same as you may have initially thought. I know some of you actually did get their identities correct, which was amazing to see.

Other than that I've been trying to give Alter Hinata some development as well. She's important to the plot and I'd love to know what you guys think of her character so far.

Until next time, take care. And I will soon explain why Minato is called "Kazekage". Don't worry lol.


	22. Convergence

**Convergence**

* * *

Naruto entered his room and shut the door behind him while carrying the unconscious Hinata in his hands. They were both soaking wet and he couldn't wait to get changed.

He gently placed Hinata on top of the bed and was about to move on when her unconscious face caught his attention. Even when asleep she looked so beautiful and serene. He couldn't help but kneel down next to her to have a closer look. He didn't get the chance last night to observe her given the dark room and how aggressively she held on to him, but now that he had a clear sight Naruto felt like he could keep watching her for an untold period of time. One question came to his mind however.

"_Didn't her alter ego say that whenever the real one was unconscious she was automatically pushed out to take control of the body? I wonder why she isn't out now though. Perhaps she can choose whether to come out or not. In that case I wonder why she chose not to. Come to think of it, she looked quite flustered and left so haphazardly earlier. Quite unlike her. That's something I would have expected from the real Hinata. Strange."_

Once his thoughts ended, Naruto's sights once again drifted back to Hinata's face, this time more particularly her lips. They reminded him of a story he heard when he was a child, of a sleeping princess who would not wake up from her deep slumber until a prince awakened her with a kiss. It was a silly childish story but right now Hinata looked just like that princess, and he seemed to be tasked with the job of the prince. Perhaps it was more that he WANTED to be tasked with waking up princess Hinata. In either case Naruto couldn't help but close the distance between himself and Hinata until their faces were inches apart. It was at this point that he looked up from her lips only to find her eyes wide open with a look of a deer caught in headlights.

"N-Naruto-kun…"

"H-Hinata…"

They uttered each other's names before Hinata promptly fainted once more. Naruto couldn't even say anything before he realised what just happened. At this point a kiss would more likely have the complete opposite effect than what he had heard in the story as a child. Hinata also needed to change before she caught a cold, but if she didn't wake up soon Naruto would get one of the other women to do it for her. He wasn't quite mentally prepared to do so for her; neither did he even want to imagine what would happen if Hinata woke up during the act. Thus, feeling a little let down he headed to the bathroom first to take a quick shower and change.

He left all his clothes at the shelves outside the bathroom and sat down on the bathing stool with a sprinkler and soap at hand. He took his time to thoroughly shower himself after the bout he had with Hinata. Although at the time when they were fighting he saw her as one of the strongest opponents he had ever faced, the Hinata lying on his bed right now gave him a different type of sensation, one made him restless and feel butterflies in his stomach. It was confusing to him how one person could stir such highly conflicting emotions within him, but perhaps most perplexing was the fact that he did not dislike any of these emotions. In fact he appreciated these contradictory feelings to his own surprise. This is how Naruto knew that Hinata was someone special to him.

Almost on cue with those thoughts, Naruto heard the door to the bathroom slide open behind him. He turned his head only to find Hinata standing there with just a towel wrapped around her just like last night.

Naruto's heart almost jumped to his throat instantly. "W-W-W-W-What are you doing here Hinata?"

Hinata was so embarrassed that she couldn't even look Naruto in the eyes, but she had to do this. "P-P-P-P-Please let me w-w-w-wash your back."

Naruto's eyes widened even further. There's no way he could be hearing things right. "You don't need to do that Hinata. I can do it myself. You don't have to push yourself with what you're not comfortable with."

"I'm not pushing myself Naruto-kun…maybe I am. But this is something that I absolutely want to do. I want to be there for you, for big things and for small ones. P-Please let me. I'm sorry if I'm invading your personal space, but if not then being able to do this for you would really make me happy."

Naruto was lost for words for a moment, but he could hear the sincerely in Hinata's voice. "If you say it like that, there's no way for me to refuse. If it makes you happy then please, by all means."

Hinata was ecstatic as she kneeled down behind Naruto with the scrub in hand. She used it to gently rub all the way down his spinal cord. Upon seeing how masculine his shoulders were she couldn't help but touch them directly with her hand and trace her fingers ever so slowly down his back.

Naruto's entire body shivered in response to the touch of her silky hand. Hinata noticed this and now started to use both hands to spread the foam of the soap across his back with care.

At this point Naruto was trying his best to keep himself from moaning. He did not expect for this to feel so good. However, at this point just the thought of being in the bathroom alone with Hinata made him very uncomfortable in certain parts of his body, forcing him to cross his legs in a very awkward way. To his utter surprise he suddenly felt Hinata's hands slip to the front of his body as she traced them across his abdomen, getting towards very dangerous territory.

He was about to say something, but at that very moment they were both startled by the sound of someone knocking on the bathroom door.

"Naruto, are you in there?" His mother asked from outside.

"Yes I'm here mom." He quickly answered back to stop her from figuring out what was going on inside.

"Your father wants to have the meeting. It's very important. Where's Hinata by the way? Didn't you two come back together? I didn't see her in your room."

Both Naruto and Hinata scrambled in panic as soon as they heard those questions. Naruto got up from his stool and in the moment of chaos stepped on to the soap bar on the ground, causing him to trip and crash down on to the ground, bringing Hinata along with him. Even while they were falling, Naruto managed to place his hand behind Hinata's head to keep her from getting hurt.

The loud sound of the two of them crashing on to the ground worried Kushina as she quickly slid the door open to check what just happened. Hinata had forgotten to lock the door earlier given how nervous she was.

"NARUTO ARE YOU OKA-" Kushina shouted out in concern for her son, but what she saw inside brought her to an absolute halt.

A completely naked Naruto was lying on top of a completely naked Hinata with only a towel separating the two of their bodies.

Kushina instantly shut the door behind her. Her face was bright red.

"I'M SORRY FOR INTERRUPTING YOUR FUN!" She shouted out her apology as she ran out of the room. "MINATO! MINATO!"

Minato, who was just passing by Naruto's room stopped as he saw the frazzled look on his wife's face. "What's the matter Kushina? Is something wrong?"

"Today I saw something that no parent ever expects to see." She replied in an unusually meek tone.

Minato was confused. "What do you mean? I don't understand."

"I can't explain. But let's just say that the two of us need to go shopping for children's accessories soon. Our grandchild might be coming sooner than later."

"No way…" Minato's eyes widened in shock as he finally understood what his wife meant.

"GIGGITY!" Jiraiya, who was walking with his son screamed for the entire compound to hear. "Where's the camera? We gotta record this right now!"

The perverted old man scrambled to find his phone and was about to fly into Naruto's room to record some action, but Minato and Kushina forcefully dragged him away to his dismay.

"No, let me go. I want to record this. This is perfect research material. Plus we can document this for posterity for the generations to come. LET ME GOOOOOOOOO!"

That was the last scream both Naruto and Hinata heard as he was dragged away against his will into some other part of the compound. The poor couple at this point were absolutely traumatised. What was meant to be a simple moment of bonding between a husband and wife turned into an absolute mess. They didn't even want to know how they'd face their parents any more.

Naruto got up from on top of Hinata and extended his hand to help her up. But at this point Hinata's eyes naturally drifted down to the lower half of his body and what she saw was way more than she could handle.

"Naruto-kun's love dragon is excited and standing at attention…" She barely managed to utter those words before promptly losing consciousness once more.

"No Hinata, don't pass out on me again."

But it was already too late. She was long gone into dreamland.

* * *

Faraway in an underground dungeon outside of Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning…

Sasuke towered over a helpless Hyuga whose entire body was chained to the walls of the torture chamber. This room was hideous and its walls stained with the blood of its many victims. The only source of light was the dim bulb hanging from the ceiling.

But Neji could barely even see any of the light. With the one eye he had open, all he saw was red. His left eye was missing and blood poured out of the eye socket. The pain of having lost his eye was unimaginable, but he refused to yield.

"Still won't speak? You're quite tenacious Hyuga, if I say so myself." Sasuke gave a backhanded compliment while holding something within the palms of his right hand.

"As if losing an eye would make me rat out my clan and my village. I've said this before and I'll say it again, you're never going to get anything out of me Uchiha." Neji replied back forcefully, not ready to yield.

Sasuke started smiling once he heard Neji's response. He held his hand out above the Hyuga's head who was lying on the floor and crushed the eye that was within, causing the remains of Neji's eyes to drip all over his body.

"That was just one of your eyes. The rest of your body parts will follow if you keep up the resistance." Sasuke informed emotionlessly as he wiped the remains of the eyes on Neji's face. "Your filthy low-grade eyes are of no use to me. The ones that I'm really after are those of Hinata Hyuga. You could just end your own suffering by telling me what I want to know about her."

"Don't make me laugh. I would NEVER sell out my cousin to you."

"I like it, that resilience of yours. This may come as a surprise but I'm rooting for you Hyuga." Sasuke said quite sincerely as the look on his face turned truly sadistic. "Because the more you resist, the better it'll be when I finally break you. Now then, what should I remove next? A hand? Or maybe a leg? Or perhaps that which makes you a man?"

Sasuke dug his lightning imbued sword in between Neji's legs, ready to chop off another part of his body. The situation was hopeless. But just at that moment another ninja from Kumogakure arrived at the scene with a message, given that there was no reception in this secluded underground dungeon.

"Master Sasuke, your father has summoned you to his office. He wishes to speak with you urgently."

Sasuke had a look of irritation on his face, but nevertheless decided to comply. "Very well, go tell him that I'll be there shortly."

"Of course." The ninja replied and disappeared promptly.

Sasuke now refocused on Neji and retrieved his sword that was dug into the ground and sheathed it.

"I guess you get a little time off by yourself for now. But don't worry, once I return, I'll take you back into the world within my eyes." With those final words, Sasuke exited the room and locked the door behind him.

While Neji was a tough man, just the thought of that nightmare world struck fear into his heart. Even losing a limb would be better than being trapped in the genjutsu of that Uchiha's eyes.

Sasuke had only walked a few steps towards the exit of the dungeon when he suddenly felt a sharp pain tear through his eyes all the way across his brain, one that brought him down to his knees. Accompanying that pain were voices that overcame his senses.

"No…not again!" Sasuke grasped on to his head in the hopes of reducing those voices, but they only got louder by the second. "STOP IT!"

The pain and the sounds only got louder and louder causing Sasuke to scream in agony and drop on to the ground. "NO MORE! STOP WITH THESE VOICES! STOP IT RIGHT NOW!"

Slowly but surely, the voices started to become clearer and intelligible.

"_We showed them benevolence."_ One of the voices whispered into Sasuke's head.

"_They repaid us with betrayal!"_ Another ghastly voice said in a louder tone.

"_**NOW THEY'LL FACE OUR RETRIBUTION!"**_ A third voice screamed into Sasuke's mind, almost tearing it apart from the vehement anger imbued within.

"STOP IIIIIIIT!" Sasuke demanded, but the voices would not yield and drove him near madness. There was nothing he could do but to accept their demands.

"Fine, I'll do it! I'll capture her! I'll exact your revenge! And I'll reclaim it once more…**KONOHA**!" Sasuke shouted back with a maniacal laughter, one that echoed through the chambers of the entire dungeon. Slowly but surely, Sasuke's sanity was starting to slip away.

Back in the Raikage's office in Kumogakure, Fugaku watched his son with great intent through the eyes of a crow that was currently observing Sasuke.

"It would appear your descent into madness has already begun. There are only two ways in which this can end, either you controlling your eyes, or your eyes controlling you. I'd like to see your outcome Sasuke."

* * *

Back in Uzushiogakure…

Naruto and Hinata sat across to their parents in Minato's office within the Uzumaki compound.

"Now then, let us elaborate upon your first assignment together." Minato said in a serious tone. "Let us talk about…Konoha."

* * *

Konoha is where this story will really get started. Everything that has happened so far has been more of an introduction.

I'm curious though, what do you guys think should happen to Neji? There's a purpose that he will serve, but after that whether he lives or dies will not really affect the overall plot. So I don't quite know if you guys would like him to stick around or no. I'm likely to be swayed by your opinions, although I can't make promises. I'll decide at some point.

Let me know your thoughts and until next time, be well :)


	23. The Plan To Resurrect Konoha Part 1

**The Plan to Resurrect Konoha Part 1**

* * *

It was evening in Uzushiogakure and the sun had set a little while earlier.

"Let us elaborate upon your first assignment together. Let us talk about Konoha." Minato addressed both his son and his daughter in law in a rather serious tone.

"Konoha?" Naruto was a little surprised to hear the name of that village. "What about it?"

"We'll get into that shortly, but before we can do so, we need to preface this by going back to the basics." Minato cleared his throat to begin his short lecture. "As you will already know, there are five major countries in this world – The Land of Fire, The Land of Water, The Land of Earth, The Land of Lightning and The Land of Wind. Of course there are also many other smaller nations, but these five countries are the biggest, the most influential and have the largest ninja presence in the world. Almost all ninja in these lands are based within what are called the "ninja villages" and we shinobi protect our homelands from both outside and inside forces and maintain peace among the general populace using the various special abilities we've been gifted with. Every single one of the aforementioned lands bar one also has one "capital" ninja village where the strongest ninja clans and the majority of the ninja force reside, ruled by a leader known as a "Kage". The Kage holds tremendous power, being able to order the entire shinobi force of his village as well as the rest of his country if the situation necessitates."

Naruto and Hinata listened attentively, waiting to see where their parents were going with this. Thus Minato continued.

"In the Land of Water, the capital ninja village is Kirigakure, the village hidden in the mist. It is ruled by the Mizukage, Hiashi Hyuga, in other words Hinata's father. In the Land of Lightning, the capital is Kumogakure, the village hidden in the clouds. It is ruled by the Raikage, Fugaku Uchiha. In the Land of Earth, the capital is Iwagakure, the village hidden in the stones. It is ruled by the Tsuchikage, Nawaki Senju. Finally, in the Land of Wind, the capital is Uzushiogakure, the village hidden in the whirlpools. It is ruled by the Kazekage, yours truly." Minato pointed at himself with a smile.

However, Naruto was unimpressed and had a deadpanned look. "Tell us something that we don't already know."

Hiashi now took over to elaborate upon Minato's explanations. "As you may have already noticed, all of the Kages are members of the strongest clans within their countries, the Hyuga being the strongest in Kirigakure, the Uchiha in Kumogakure, the Senju in Iwagakure and the Uzumaki in Uzushiogakure. It's a very common occurrence for Kages to hail from the most powerful clans as only the most proven and strongest of shinobi are chosen by the people to occupy such an important position. Plus it allows their clans to help the Kages in ruling over their respective villages."

Hinata nodded obediently but couldn't help get the feeling as though she was being told information she already knew. As one of the children of a Kage this stuff was quite obvious.

"Let's talk a little bit about the geography of these countries." Minato continued. "The Land of Fire is the largest country in the world and sits right in the middle of the entire map and shares borders with all four other major countries. It is very well known for having some very hot locations, in particular a lot of deserts, and hence its name. The Land of Lightning is to the northeast of the Land of Fire and consists of highlands, many of its villages being located near mountain tops within the clouds. Conversely, The Land of Earth is to the northwest of the Land of Fire and is below sea level, being surrounded by rocky mountainous regions and its villages being built on the bases of these mountains. The Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth also share a border with each other besides the Land of Fire."

Hiashi once again took over to explain the rest. "Switching to the opposite end, to the south of the Land of Fire is the great ocean and the two other countries are located therein. Southeast of the Land of Fire is the Land of Water, a large country sitting right in the middle of the ocean and hence its name. To the southwest of the Land of Fire is the Land of Wind, essentially an archipelago, a large collection of islands surrounded by whirlpools. The Land of Wind and the Land of Water share an oceanic border with each other, but it is easier to travel through the Land of Fire to reach each other faster and without much hassle."

"Okay, now that we've went over some of the basics, you may have already noticed that of the five great nations one of them does not follow the conventional shinobi structure - the Land of Fire. This is where Konoha and your first assignment will come into play." Minato informed the two.

"I guess I never bothered asking, but why doesn't the Land of Fire have a major ninja village and a Kage? Don't they have strong ninja there?" Naruto questioned somewhat curiously.

"Good question." His father nodded in response. "It's not that the Land of Fire doesn't have strong shinobi. In fact, there are many strong clans within the Land of Fire. However due to a long history of war and a lot of infighting, those clans have ended up scattered across the country. The ninja villages that do exist in the Land of Fire are very small and do not have much power. Amongst them the three most notable villages are Amegakure which is located to the north and close to the border with the Land of Lightning, Sunagakure which is in the central deserts, and finally Konohagakure, the ninja village closest to us to the south. Our focus is on Konoha and our intention is to make it the strongest ninja village in the Land of Fire."

"Why Konoha, and why do you want to empower it exactly?" Hinata questioned further.

"Again, good questions." Minato nodded once more. "Right now Konoha is run by the Sarutobi clan with whom we've had a great relationship with for a long time. Besides them there is also a small group of ninja and civilians living in Konoha. However in the past Konoha had a great legacy, being a village where some of the strongest clans once resided. In fact even the Uzumaki clan is said to have had a presence there a very long time ago. We need to restore Konoha to its former glory. The reason we're so adamant about this is because we've received intelligence that the Land of Lightning is currently planning an invasion of the Land of Fire."

"WHAT? Are they crazy?" Naruto was flabbergasted. "That could lead to an all-out war between the nations."

Minato's expression now turned into a very serious one. "Under normal circumstances the idea of an invasion would indeed be borderline insane. However, the Land of Fire is the weakest amongst all the great nations and as I mentioned earlier, there is no unified shinobi force within the country and no Kage to lead them. The Land of Lightning on the other hand is the strongest amongst all the nations when it comes to pure militaristic power. None of the other nations individually could match up to them in a one on one scenario. Therefore, an invasion upon the Land of Fire is by no means an impossible feat for them."

"Why exactly are they intending to do this?" Naruto questioned thoughtfully.

"We do not quite know exactly their ambitions, but considering the fact that the Uchiha are at the helm of all this and how they attempted to capture Hinata 10 years ago, I surmise it may have something to do with gaining more power. The Uchiha have always been a twisted clan from what I understand." Hiashi explained.

"I take it that you have a counter to their plans?" Naruto suggested.

"Indeed. The Land of Fire is a central location that connects to every other great nation. If it falls under the occupation of Lightning, we suspect it will only be a matter of time before they try something similar with our countries given their hostility and past course of actions. We MUST stop all attempts of this invasion at any cost, and that is where you two come in. This is the first mission stemming from the alliance between the Lands of Wind and Water that initiated as a result of your marriage. Although individually we may not be as strong as lightning, together we may stand up to them."

"I understand now why you want to help Konoha, but what exactly is it that the two of us have to do?" Hinata asked.

"We want the two of you to move to Konoha for the foreseeable future. You will be our vicegerents there. Your task will be twofold – firstly to strengthen Konoha by bringing together the various powerful clans that are scattered across the Land of Fire. Secondly, you must stop Kumogakure's forces in their tracks. The Sarutobi clan who are currently in charge of Konoha have agreed to lend whatever hand they can give. They welcome our help as well, given the looming threat of Lightning." Minato explained. "The long term goal here is to eventually amass a large shinobi force within Konoha and to set up a Hokage, who can then lead that force in defending their nation. However, that is not something we as outsiders can do. When the time comes the shinobi of Konoha will have to choose their own leader and find someone they can put their faith on. For now we're sending the two of you because you are some of the strongest shinobi under our command, if not THE strongest. With your powers combined you will be a force to be reckoned with. You've proven that to everyone in your bout earlier just as me and Hyuga-san predicted."

"A lot is riding on your shoulders and we're entrusting you with a long term mission of untold importance. The future of our countries lies in your hands. We hope the two of you will accept. We believe in you, not only as Kages but also as your parents." Hiashi said this time not so much as a Kage, but rather as a father.

Both Naruto and Hinata were deep in thought for a few seconds before looking at each other and nodding decisively.

"Sure we'll do it." Naruto replied with his usual grin, but soon assumed a more determined look. "Given how serious all of this sounds I would have imagined there'd be more people involved than just the two of us. I don't know how much help Konoha will be considering their state."

"Of course we aren't going to send you there to handle such an important situation by yourselves. So we've arranged for you to have some backup for both long and short term." Hiashi clarified. "From Kirigakure I'm sending over Hinata's sensei from her younger years, Kurenai Yuuhi. She is a genjutsu specialist and should prove to be a very good advisor for you both. In addition, I'm also sending Might Guy, the renowned taijutsu specialist of our village. His strength is close to that of a Kage if he really tried. His son Lee, who is almost on par with his father, will also be accompanying him. Both father and son should prove invaluable in regards to their pure strength. The three I have mentioned so far will remain in Konoha with you, but I have also arranged for one more person to lend you a hand. He is currently travelling around the Land of Fire, so he'll only really chime in when it is absolutely required. The one I speak of is Kisame Hoshigaki, one of the seven swordsmen of Kirigakure."

"WHAT?! NO WAY!" Minato was in shock. "You actually managed to get one of the legendary swordsmen to comply. The tales of Kisame Hoshigaki and his one of a kind sword Samehada is even heard across our Land of Wind."

"That man may be a bit eccentric but his loyalty to Kirigakure is undeniable. He will do what it takes to ensure out safety."

"Wow…I really don't have much space to slack. That said I also have several people lined up as well." Minato now looked over from Hiashi to his son. "I'm sending your sensei, Kakashi Hatake to Konoha to supervise you as necessary. For any kind of tactical advice, he is the one to go to. On top of that, to set up a strong medical infrastructure in Konoha, your grandmother Tsunade will also be accompanying you. There is no one better for the job than her. After all, she is known by many as the best medical ninja in the world. Finally, I've also asked your grandfather Jiraiya to lend assistance as well, but you know him well enough. He'll probably fly off somewhere to do his research, whatever that may be, for most of the time, but he'll be there when he's truly needed."

This time it was Hiashi's turn to be awestruck. "You arranged for both the legendary medic and the toad sage to become involved? This is certainly impressive."

"What are you two doing?" Naruto asked their parents with a deadpanned look. "Competing against each other on who can send an all-star crew?"

Both Minato and Hiashi were caught off guard by the question.

"Of course we aren't doing that!" They both blurted out together.

"They're competing aren't they?" Naruto asked Hinata while sharing a knowing glance.

"Yup, they're definitely competing." Hinata replied casually.

Hiashi coughed rather loudly to get back their attention. "In any case, as you can see, you'll have a lot of people supporting you there, as well as having the full backing of your clans. All the other clans that watched you fight earlier have also agreed to lend you their strength as necessary. So you'll not be alone. Your marriage has definitely initiated the first steps to a great alliance."

"Indeed, it is as he has says." Minato added. "However, there is one more person I have yet to introduce who will also be joining the two of you in Konoha. Perhaps among everyone mentioned thus far, he may be the greatest asset due to the enemy we face."

Hiashi, Hinata and Naruto were all very curious to know who Minato was referring to.

"Why don't you come on in?" Minato said loud enough for the person waiting outside the room to hear.

The door opened and a man in his early thirties walked in.

Naruto was ecstatic to see this person. "NO WAY! YOU'RE GOING TO BE JOINING US IN KONOHA?!"

The man couldn't help but smile. Naruto was like a little brother to him, or perhaps he was more like Naruto's senpai. "Well, sensei asked me and I just couldn't reject the proposition given that my little kouhai is involved."

"Who is this man?" Hiashi asked curiously, wanting to know why Minato and Naruto held him in such high regard.

"I'm glad you asked." Minato replied happily. "Allow me to introduce you to Obito Uchiha."

Instantly Hiashi and Hinata's faces had a look of horror.

"YOU HAVE ONE OF THE UCHIHA LIVING AMONGST YOU?!" Hiashi questioned further but did not wait for an answer before activating his Byakugan.

Minato quickly extended his hands out in front of him to defuse the situation. "There is no need to be alarmed. Obito is certainly an Uchiha, but he is also my greatest student. He is firmly on our side."

* * *

What do you think? Is he good or is he evil? It'll be interesting to see your predictions in regards to Obito and Tobi.

Also, I hope the reason why Minato is called Kazekage now makes sense. What you may have known as the "Land of Whirlpools" is what I'm calling the Land of Wind here, and its a much bigger nation as well. Sunagakure on the other hand will be part of the Land of Fire. So yes, Gaara exists, but he's not the Kazekage.

You may have also noticed that some of the villains in this story are actually good guys. I'll do the same the other way as well. Some of the good guys may turn out to be antagonists. My hope is to make things interesting that way.

As always, let me know your thoughts and until next time, be well!


	24. The Plan To Resurrect Konoha Part 2

**The Plan to Resurrect Konoha Part 2**

* * *

"There is no need to be alarmed. Obito is certainly an Uchiha, but he is also my greatest student. He is firmly on our side and he has been living in Uzushiogakure for a long time." Minato said in his student's defence.

"Yeah, I've practically known him since I was a kid. Obito is like a big bro to me. There's no need to be worried." Naruto also came to the Uchiha's defence.

"Is that so?" Hiashi still questioned with some doubt.

Minato nodded strongly. "Indeed, he is one of the few students I have personally trained before I became Kazekage. He is one of Uzushiogakure's greatest assets and a trustworthy shinobi under my command. That is why I've decided to involve him in this extremely important project."

Naruto now turned towards Obito with an annoyed look. "Where the heck were you yesterday? I can't believe you didn't turn up to my marriage. I mean even Karin showed up. I'm very disappointed."

"I'm really sorry Naruto. You know that I'd normally be the first person to turn up to such a big event involving you. But it happened so suddenly and I was caught up in some important work last night, so I couldn't make it."

"What could possibly be more important?" Naruto asked cynically even though he knew he was being unreasonable. A shinobi's life could be very unpredictable. But he really wanted Obito to attend.

"Again, I'm really sorry for not being there. Please forgive me." Obito apologised wholeheartedly, not even being able to look Naruto in the eye.

"It's fine. Although I'm annoyed, I can see you're sincere about it at least." Naruto replied.

"Thanks, and to make up to you for not being there, here's an extra special gift I brought for the two of you. It was pretty difficult for me to get my hands on these considering the fact that I can't even remember the last time I bought these. In any case, I hope you like it. Scratch that, I KNOW you'll appreciate it." Obito handed Naruto what appeared to be a small box that was covered in gift wrap.

Naruto was now very curious after hearing the Uchiha's confidence. "What is it?"

"I don't think I can tell you in front of everyone. It was pretty embarrassing to buy them from the store. I had completely forgotten how painful the stare of the pharmacist feels like. But I still did it for my little kouhai." Obito said with a mischievous grin on his face. "At least nowadays you young ones can just order them online and get them delivered straight to your home, bypassing all the uncomfortable feelings of buying them over the counter at the pharmacy."

"Pharmacy? Did you get me medicine or something?" Naruto was now confused as well as curious. He really just wanted to open up the gift to see what it was.

Hiashi also had a similar idea, but for him that feat would be a lot easier. He focused his Byakugan on the gift and to take a look inside. One glimpse caused his face to turn a slight red and he quickly deactivated his Byakugan. It was only for a split second but even Hiashi had lost his stern composure.

"Naruto, you can open the gift later. Let's get back to business." Minato suggested, but before he could continue there was a knock on the door. "Come in!"

An Uzumaki girl opened the door upon his clearance. "I'm sorry to bother you in the midst of your important meeting, but Kirito-sama wishes to speak with his father urgently."

"Of course, let him in."

Thus a young boy, about 7 years of age walked into the room. He was wearing all black clothing that matched the colour of his hair, which was similar to Obito's. Perhaps most curious were the two wooden Kendo sticks that were sheathed on his back in a cross just like two swords would be. He appeared sick however.

"Tou-chan, can we go home already? I'm not feeling well." Kirito requested his father earnestly.

"I'm sorry son. Can you wait just a little bit longer?"

"Please let's go home. My head is hurting." Kirito asked once again while pulling on his father's shirt.

Obito touched his son's forehead only to find that his temperature was quite high. Thus he turned towards Minato with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry sensei but Kirito has gotten a little sick recently. I took him to the doctor and he needs some rest. So if you don't mind, can you fill me in on the briefing at a later time?"

"There's nothing to be sorry about Obito. In fact I should be the one apologising for calling you in while you're on your leave and Kirito-kun is sick. Please, by all means, tend to him. I'll give you the details later." Minato said to Obito before turning to the little boy. "Also Kirito-kun, make sure to get well soon. Your father took a pretty long leave from work so that he could spend time with you. If you're sick the whole time, it'd be a waste right?"

Kirito nodded his head empathetically, being happy with the fact that he could finally spend time with his father where he would get his father's undivided attention.

"What's the matter Kirito? A little fever got the best of you?" Naruto asked the young boy jokingly. "That's unacceptable for someone who wishes to be my disciple."

"No way! I might be a bit down under the weather, but I haven't stopped getting stronger. I'll become one of the greatest swordsmen to have ever lived." The boy replied while mustering up all his energy. "In fact, I've been training on my new sword skill. You want to see it?"

"Why not? Show me what you got."

Upon hearing Naruto's reply, Kirito unsheathed his makeshift wooden Kendo stick swords and held them in both hands. "This is it Naruto-nii-chan! Witness my new technique – STARBURST STREAM!"

As soon as he was about to dash at Naruto, his father brought his fist down on his head, stopping him dead in his tracks.

"OU-CHOOO!" Kirito cried out in pain and sneezed at the exact same time.

"Calm down." Obito ordered his son. "You're sick. Don't make it worse. I'm the one who has to look after you in the end."

"Haiii…" The boy replied as small tears formed in his eyes.

Naruto gently rubbed the boy's head to console him. "It's okay Kirito. As your father said, you should get better first. Then next time we can show your father the new technique I taught you. I'm sure he'll be surprised."

Kirito nodded, excitement evident on his face. "I can't wait!"

"If it comes to Naruto then I'm fairly sure I'll definitely be surprised by whatever it is he has taught you." Obito told his son while also gently caressing his head. "Can you go outside for a bit? I'll be there in just a minute."

Thus Kirito waved goodbye to the rest and exited the room.

"It must be hard taking care of him by yourself." Minato said to his student while watching his son walk away. "But you've really grown as a person ever since Kirito became a part of your life. I can't believe the knuckleheaded Obito has become so mature. It's almost like I'm seeing a part of Rin within you."

"He is the only family I have left, and I promised her that I'd take good care of him." Obito replied with a melancholic expression as he reminisced the person that meant the world to him. "Sensei, I think I finally understand now how you felt when you always told me that Naruto was your pride and joy. Right now I feel the same way. Kirito is also my pride and joy. I'd do everything in my power to ensure his wellbeing. I suppose it's a feeling that comes only with being a parent."

"That is certainly the case. Being a parent is both tough and rewarding at the same time."

While listening to the exchange between master and student, Hinata couldn't help but get a little curious. "What about his mother? Is she not around right now to help take care of him?"

It only took her a few moments to realise she had asked the wrong questions when she saw the downcast expression on the face of Obito and the rest of the Uzumaki.

"I-I-I'm sorry for asking such personal questions. It w-was insensitive of me. I'm sorry!" She apologised wholeheartedly.

Obito smiled back wryly in response. "Wow, I'm surprised to see the Hyuga's princess is so polite and considerate. I always somewhat imagined the Hyuga to be very ruthless. In any case, it's fine. There's no need for apologies. Kirito's mother and my wife, Rin, died when our son was only about a year old. She loved him so much that even in her last moments Rin's final wish was for me look after our son and give him all the love and care in her stead. That is what I always try to do. I know I'll never be able to take Rin's place, but I'll do the best I can."

Hinata's eyes got watery just from hearing that little story. She wasn't very strong when it came to such emotional matters.

"It's not all sad though. Rin was an Uzumaki and that's why I always bring Kirito here when I can. Sensei, Naruto and everyone within the Uzumaki makes him feel the bond of his extended family. Even if the Uchiha clan are too fargone from him, he can always be part of the Uzumaki clan just like his mother." Obito explained before changing the topic. "In any case, I've heard from sensei about the situation regarding the invasion of the Land of Fire that is being masterminded by the Uchiha. Even though I was born an Uchiha myself, I'll support you both in countering their corrupted plans. Let us work together to achieve peace. That is my true hope."

Both Naruto and Minato seemed to be putting a lot of faith in Obito, and even though the Hyuga wanted to learn much more about this man, they decided to believe in him as well even though their impressions of the Uchiha in general was terrible to say the least. This man however seemed to be different. Thus, with pleasantries exchanged, Obito took his leave as well.

"Since this mission seems like it'll take quite a while to complete, do you know where we'll be staying during the time?" Naruto addressed the question to his father.

"Yes, that's something I'm working on right now with the Sarutobi in Konoha. We're working on arranging suitable places for everyone to stay, but since Konoha is such a small village this may prove to be a bit of a challenge." Minato explained. "I should point out right now that wherever you'll be staying it'll definitely not be as extravagant of a place as ones you're used to. That being said I'm trying to see if we can buy a house for the two of you, one that will permanently belong to you both and you can do with it as you please. I hope that sounds reasonable."

"That'd be pretty cool." Naruto admitted.

Hinata nodded with excitement as the prospect of having her own house with Naruto, even if it was small was truly appealing. The clan houses were massive and highly expensive living premises, but having a place that they could call exclusively their own and customise to their own liking had a charm of its own.

"Well, it'll take a bit of time before these arrangements get sorted out. Until then you two should enjoy your time together and bond as a couple. You'll need to support one another for everything that is to come." Minato advised the two.

"Is everything going to be okay over there in the mean time?" Hinata asked their parents.

"Yes, it should be fine. So far Lightning is only planning their next move. It'll take them some time to put them into action. Plus we have some of our people stationed all around the Land of Fire to give us any updates if a situation escalates." Minato explained.

"Plus I also have a spy in Kumogakure currently." Hiashi added. "It is Neji himself."

That bit of information shocked Hinata completely. "NEJI-NIISAN?! You really sent Neji-niisan into the enemy territory? Why?"

"You should already know that Neji is one of the best amongst the Hyuga. It is because he is so reliable and loyal to us that I chose to send him. Kumo has been hostile towards us in the past what with trying to capture you and getting a hold of the Byakugan. With this new ordeal underway I needed someone trustworthy who could scout for information at the heart of the enemy territory. He was that person."

"But that is such a dangerous task. What if he gets caught? I don't even want to think about what would happen then." Hinata argued her case.

"I believe in him." Hiashi gave a simple reply.

"How is he now?" Hinata asked back.

"He hasn't contacted back in a while, but that is to be expected given the nature of the mission. I'm sure he'll get back to us soon with a wealth of information. In any case, I don't think there is any reason for you to worry about him. He is strong."

Even though her father told her not to worry, there was this bad feeling going through her mind. She did her best to divert them away believing in her cousin's strength.

"In any case, I want you two to keep in mind something in regards to this mission." Minato wished to clarify matters a bit further. "It is our job as shinobi to ensure the safety of the people of our nations from any evil, no matter what it may be. But we also have the further task of building a better world. The best way to do so is to create alliances where we can help one another out. Such is what is happening between Uzushiogakure and Kirigakure right now with the two of you. We wish to extend our alliances further by including Konohagakure next. This will hopefully help us to protect the Land of Fire, our allies, and our own nations from the Land of Lightning who has been a hostile nation and pose a threat towards us all from their past activities. The enemy is strong. We cannot let them take over our allies and use them against us. Thus it is imperative that we succeed, and we believe that the two of you will lead us to success. We hope…no…we KNOW you will live up to our expectations."

"We'll do our best!" Both Naruto and Hinata replied decisively at the same time.

Minato nodded in response. "In that case, our meeting's over. You're dismissed for now. I'm sure you two must have many things you want to do alone, like going out to places, getting to know each other better, discussing your future together, having hot steamy make out sessions so that we can have grandchildren among other things.

Hinata's face instantly started glowing red.

"WHAT THE HECK WAS UP WITH THAT RIDICULOUS LAST STATEMENT?!" Naruto shouted at his father, but he knew him all too well to even wait for an answer. "Screw it, we're leaving. After the embarrassment you put me through at breakfast, I don't even want to talk about that with you anymore. Good night!"

Thus Naruto grabbed Hinata's hand and led her out of the clan leader's office.

* * *

To the one person (**Tsukoblue**) who wished for an Obito-Rin pairing, you got your wish. Unfortunately, she has died in this story as well. It's part of the plot. But at least their son is here.

In fact, I hope...I REALLY hope at least someone got that MASSIVE reference to a certain anime in this chapter. Big props will go to anyone who does get it.

Also, I'll laugh my backside off and give even bigger props if anyone can guess the gift Obito gave to Naruto. I thought it'd be hilarious when Naruto finds out.

That's about it for today. Until next time, be well :)


	25. Maiden From An Unknown Space & Time

**Maiden From An Unknown Space &amp; Time**

* * *

Naruto exited the clan leader's room hand in hand with Hinata and went outside to the courtyard. It was the perfect quiet place to relax at this time of the night.

"Seriously, sometimes I really can't stand the way in which my parents tease me." Naruto complained to his wife in an aggravated tone. "It's like they get enjoyment out of embarrassing me. Now you've become involved in it as well. I'm sorry about the way in which they act. They're like a bunch of children sometimes."

"I think they're showing their love to you in their own way." Hinata replied with a smile while thinking about the funny antics of Naruto's parents. They weren't the average parents especially considering the important positions they held, but she really did come to appreciate them within just the span of a day.

The couple were taking a leisurely stroll through the empty courtyard of the Uzumaki clan when they noticed an unexpected guest arrive at the scene.

"YOU!" Naruto shouted at the newcomer, not in the least bit happy to see her appearance.

The pink haired girl looked equally agitated after seeing Naruto.

"Brilliant, just my luck! I arrive here after travelling all the way from the Iwagakure and the first thing I see is your dumb face. GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Sakura ordered. Her message was clear but Naruto now went from unhappy to furious.

"Do you understand where you are right now? This is my house and I'm THIS close from throwing you out if you don't sort out your behaviour right about now." He threatened back.

"I will behave in whatever way I feel like. An idiot like you does not deserve any better."

Naruto was quickly reaching his wit's end. His rivalry with this girl was one that initiated a long time and she was once again really starting to grate on his nerves.

"You Sakura are a disgrace to your clan. No, not just your clan, you are a disgrace as a human being with how you treat others with such crass disrespect. It is about time someone put you in your place."

Sakura snickered at his comment. "If I am a disgrace to my clan then you will be the Uzumaki's demise. I feel for this clan for having a fool like yourself as their heir. Plus you should watch your tongue. Understand who you are speaking to. I am the grandchild of the great Nawaki Senju, the greatest Kage alive. Show your respect!"

"YOU DON'T DESERVE ANY RESPECT! Respect isn't something that is given to someone as a birth right like you seem to think, it is earned!" Naruto said to her while trying to hold in his anger. "Now get out of my sight. I really can't stand you stepping into our compound, but since you're grandma's guest as usual I'm going to let it slide. Now keep walking. I hope I don't have the displeasure of meeting you again, Senju."

Naruto was ready to walk away and end the confrontation when Sakura's eyes fell on the girl standing beside him. Hinata was confused thus far by the harsh exchange between the two but she had no idea what she was about to get wrapped in.

"Oh…who do we have here? Is she the one people are speaking about, the one who married the heir to the Uzumaki clan?" Sakura asked while circling around Hinata and observing her like a hawk. "She must be it, the Hyuga's princess. Those eyes are absolutely freaky."

Her comments made Naruto feel a lot more confrontational once again. He wouldn't allow anyone to degrade his wife in front of his face. "HEY! I don't care if you insult me but don't you DARE say another bad word about her. Compared to you she is an angel both in looks AND in personality. For your own wellbeing, I'd suggest you don't mess with her either. You do not want to anger her if you understand what is good for your own self."

Sakura was now really starting to lose her cool as well. No one dared call her inferior to another woman. It was an insult she wouldn't just accept. She was really giving Naruto the most menacing of looks.

Seeing the situation come towards an absolute boiling point, Hinata quickly got in the middle of Naruto and Sakura in the hopes of mediating between them. "A-A-Ano…please don't f-fight. I think it is best i-if we all be r-respectful t-towards one another."

However, Hinata's interference only resulted in Sakura's short temper to reach its tipping point.

"I REALLY DO NOT APPRECIATE THOSE WHO TRY TO GET IN MY WAY!" She shouted back at the Hyuga while punching the ground below with her fist as a way to vent her frustration.

Our of reflex and knowing Sakura's unbelievable strength, Naruto quickly jumped away. Hinata on the other hand had no idea of what was happening and thus stood in place, not knowing what the simple act of punching the ground could do.

The blow caused the earth below to shake and the shockwave that emanated from the hit blew Hinata's body backwards and sent her crashing into a flight of wooden stairs that led from the courtyard to the compound's walkway.

Sakura looked up only to find Hinata's body covered in rubble and the Hyuga struggling to get back up, being completely shaken from the impact. She smiled cynically after seeing the unexpected results of her action. "Weak…just as I expected."

Naruto on the other was in absolute shock. He couldn't believe such a thing happened right in front of his eyes. He felt responsible for allowing it to happen, but above all at this moment he truly despised the pink haired girl standing in the distance laughing at the ill-being of Hinata. He hadn't felt this kind of negative emotion for a long time. In fact, it reminded him of the time when he first met Hinata, and just like then, he started to hear voices in his head.

"_She hurt her…"_ A dark voice whispered in his mind. _"And all those who hurt her…WILL PAY!"_

Naruto could only agree with the voice. Thus a great change overcame him once again after ten long years.

Hinata on the other hand finally managed to remove the debris from above her body and stood up once more. She was regaining her bearings but a sharp pain on her forehead was accompanied by a warm sensation across her face. When she finally opened her eyes, Hinata saw red. She was bleeding and it was her blood that obscured her vision.

This was enough for her inner self to roar within her mind. Someone made her bleed. Unacceptable!

"_I WILL MAKE THAT GIRL UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF PAIN!"_ Inner Hinata shouted within her mind. _"SHE WILL KNOW HER PLACE!"_

Inner Hinata was just about ready to take control when the real Hinata's eyes fell upon Naruto. What she saw stopped her dead in her tracks and halted the exchange between her two selves.

Naruto currently had a firm grasp around Sakura's throat with his right hand and had lifted her off her feet into the air. It wasn't just that however. Naruto's appearance had changed as well. His usually blonde hair was pitch black. The whites of his eyes had also turned black with the irises inside a deep red. A dark aura also emanated around his body. Naruto's appearance gave him a truly menacing look unlike his usual cheerful self.

"That appearance…that dark power…I remember it. It was the same power he used ten years ago to protect me. I can't believe he still has it." Hinata uttered in near disbelief.

Naruto tightened his grip around Sakura's throat while preparing his technique. "DARK RELEASE: BLACK ICE!"

Pitch black ice spread from where Naruto held Sakura and started to cover the rest of her body. Unlike normal ice however, this one didn't just restrict the victim's movements, it also absorbed her powers, resulting in a very deadly combination.

But Sakura had enough. She herself used a ninja art even within Naruto's grip. "Earth Style: Dark Swamp!"

A small yet dangerous swamp opened up beneath Naruto's feet, dragging his feet within and trapping them. Naruto's grip on Sakura loosened slightly as he was dragged further into the swamp. This was all she needed as she reeled her hand backwards and punched Naruto so hard that his entire body shattered to a hundred pieces. Of course, Naruto's body was that of an ice clone.

Sakura also punched the black ice that had formed around her body and shattered it to pieces, focusing her attention now on finding the real Naruto.

"COME OUT UZUMAKI!" She ordered Naruto, wherever he may be. "You dared to use a technique on me. It is finally time I teach you your place…one that is beneath my feet. NOW SHOW YOURSELF!"

But Naruto was nowhere to be seen.

"You don't want to show yourself…FINE!" Sakura closed her eyes and concentrated for a few moments before opening them once more, but this time with a red outline below her eyes. "I will find you myself…AS A SAGE!"

In her sage mode, which looked somewhat different to Naruto's, Sakura could sense Naruto's presence with ease. Thus Naruto did not waste his efforts and appeared a distance away from her.

"At least you have the common sense of knowing that you can't hide from a sage. Well, you're a sage yourself. But it is time you understand that the Senju's sage abilities far supersede yours!" Sakura readied herself to charge at Naruto

"Ten years ago the Uchiha that tried to capture Hinata fell to the power of the dark. Now it's your turn Senju!" Naruto replied in a deeper tone as he also prepared to engage.

Just before the collision took place, Hinata quickly got in the middle of the two parties once more and held her hands wide in the hopes of stopping them.

"P-Please do not do this. I don't want a-anyone to fight in my accord." She told them both with the utmost sincerity.

It was at this point that Naruto heard another message from the voice within his mind: _"Bring her with you."_

Naruto appeared almost instantaneously next to Hinata and grabbed her by the waist to her surprise.

"It ends…for now." He said to Sakura while sending a burst of wind with the dark aura towards her, causing her stagger for just a split second, which was enough for Naruto to disappear with Hinata.

Sakura could try to sense them and chase after them, but the other members of the Uzumaki clan were starting to appear at the scene. Thus she decided to back down for now and tend to the original reason for visiting Uzushiogakure, which was to meet Tsunade. This wasn't the first time she and Naruto got into an argument, and it probably wouldn't be the last.

Naruto landed with Hinata on an open grassy field outside the village. This place was completely deserted at this time of the night. The moon shone down upon the field brightly creating for a rather romantic getaway. However that was the last thing on either of their minds right now.

Hinata looked at Naruto's current appearance and could not help but feel a little unnerved. "A-Are you okay N-Naruto-kun? That power looks…scary."

Naruto simply laughed in response to her query.

"There is no need for you to be scared Hinata. I may look different, but I am still me. I am still the Naruto that loves you so much." He said to her while wrapping his hands around her body and grasping her in a tight embrace.

Hinata didn't know how to respond when suddenly she felt Naruto's lips crash on to hers. It was sudden. It was unexpected. But it was also their first kiss. However, it felt anything but romantic.

Hinata couldn't even get her bearings straight when all of a sudden Naruto pushed his tongue into her mouth with force and opened it wide. But once again, it was anything but passionate.

Hinata could feel it. Naruto was forcing the dark powers that engulfed him into her through every part of her body he touched. And it felt horrific. This power almost seemed to have a mind of its own, one that was beckoning her to answer its call.

There was nothing she could do at this point. She was already too fargone. Naruto's grasp over her was too strong and the power's call too intense. Thus she closed her eyes and braced herself.

It took a few moments after which Naruto separated from her. When Hinata opened her eyes she couldn't believe what she was seeing. The two of them were seemingly standing in a huge garden on top of what appeared to be countless black flower petals. But she couldn't tell whether these were actually flower petals or not since she hadn't ever seen anything quite like them. These petals however seemed to be giving off a faint glow that lit up the garden. In the background there appeared to be an extremely large mansion, this front garden seemingly a part of it. Although it was dark outside, it wasn't night time. Rather the moon covered the sun in a permanent solar eclipse, engulfing the world in a state of perpetual darkness. This was certainly a different world altogether from the one that they were in moments ago.

Hinata coughed and gasped for breath after the impromptu kiss she shared with Naruto, but as soon as she recovered she focused her attention back on Naruto to check that he was okay.

Naruto was on the ground holding on to his head with one hand due to a slight headache, but his appearance was back to normal and he seemed to be doing well otherwise.

"W-Where are we?" He asked Hinata in his usual kind tone as he stood up once more and surveyed the area. "My head's spinning a bit. After effects of that power I used I think."

Hinata couldn't help but feel relieved seeing him back to his normal self. "I don't know. This place certainly does not look anything like where we were moments ago."

It was at this point that the two suddenly felt a presence right next to them. A person wearing a hooded cloak that covered their face appeared before them.

"Welcome to this world, both of you." The voice of a woman spoke from under the cloak. "I have been waiting a very long time for the two of you to arrive. I do apologise if my last order was a somewhat forceful. That kiss may have been a bit rough, but it was the quickest way for you two to share my power. Perhaps I got a bit impatient. I have been waiting for an untold amount of time for this moment to arrive after all."

"Your powers? What do you mean?" Naruto asked back suspiciously.

"Of course I speak of the power of darkness that you used earlier. I gave it to you ten years ago so that you could save her from the clutches of the Uchiha." The woman explained calmly to Naruto while pointing at Hinata.

"So the voice that I heard…it was yours?" Naruto asked once more.

"Indeed." She gave a straightforward reply.

There were many questions that were now floating through the couple's mind, but really there was one biggest that they absolutely had to know.

"Who are you?" Both Naruto and Hinata asked together in perfect sync.

They could both barely see the smile of the woman even though most of her face was covered by the hood.

"I have had many names throughout the past, but perhaps my favourite: "Maiden From An Unknown Space &amp; Time". Regardless, I only really have one true identity." She finally grabbed her hood and pulled it back over her head, revealing a woman who appeared to be in her late twenties. She had long hair similar to Hinata but blonde in colour just like Naruto's. Her eyes were pure white also just like Hinata's.

Thus she smiled at the couple and revealed to them her true identity: "I am the child of Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Hinata."

* * *

Wow holy snap, did a lot of things happen or what? Perhaps things you weren't quite expecting. What do you think?

A throwback to old times as well if anyone caught that.

In any case, it's time to give some props where it is due. A while back someone asked whether or not Sakura would appear in this story and in response I said she'd be from an important clan. Even back then **YamiChaos27** (Why am I not surprised?), **Ryuujin96** and **mds777** guessed right on point that she'd be part of the Senju. And well, she's frikin' strong as well even though her personality may not be the most likable. I've kind of extrapolated the academy Sakura but if she was part of an illustrious clan. This is what I've ended up with, for plot purposes as well of course.

From last chapter, I rolled around in bed laughing while reading some of the guesses for the gift Obito gave to Naruto. In due time you'll know if you got it right. For now, I should give some massive shout-outs to all those who got the awesome anime reference from last time, which was a lot of people actually to my happiness: **deltaprime11, KiritoIRL** (There was no way you wouldn't get it with that name lol), **Ayrmed**, **YamiChaos27, luqie10, Trainer1232, WOLF5231994**.

That is all for now. Let me know your thoughts and until next time, take care :)


	26. The Void Princess

**The Void Princess**

* * *

"I'm the child of Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Hinata." The girl revealed her true identity.

There was a moment of silence followed by a resounding **"WHAT?!"** from both Naruto and Hinata.

Seeing their response the girl started laughing her backside off, so much so that she dropped on to her knees trying to hold in her giggling fit. This caused both Naruto and Hinata to become confused.

"W-Why are you laughing?" Hinata asked her.

The girl barely managed to regain her composure but couldn't stop smiling. "It's just your reactions. The look on your faces was too funny."

"How did you expect us to react after telling us that you are our daughter? The two of us just got married yesterday. How is this even possible?" Naruto wracked his head for answers.

"Well, I never said I was YOUR daughter." The girl replied.

"You just said that you were the child of Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Hinata." Naruto reminded her.

"And?" She questioned. "Why does me being the child of Naruto and Hinata have to mean the same thing as being the two of your child?"

Naruto looked absolutely confused at this point.

Hinata however was starting to pick up on the clues. "Does it mean that you are the child of two other people named Naruto and Hinata?"

"PING PONG!" The girl sang a little chime in response. "You're absolutely correct. My parents' names were also Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Hinata, but you're obviously not them. I mean come on, how would me being your daughter even make sense? I'm clearly older than you both. The only way to explain such a paradox would be through time travel, and we all know that's a load of rubbish."

"Wait, there's no other Uzumaki I know of that has the same name as me. That can't be correct." Naruto informed the girl.

"He's right." Hinata concurred. "I don't know any other Hinata within the Hyuga besides me."

The girl only shook her head sideways in response. "Of course there aren't any other Naruto and Hinata besides the two of you. After all my parents lived a LONG TIME ago."

"How long exactly?" Hinata questioned back. "Surely given your age it couldn't be too long."

"Hmm…I suppose that leads us into why I brought you two here. That being said, she seems to have injured her head. Let me fix it." The girl raised her hand towards Hinata's forehead, causing a dark aura to encompass her that rapidly healed the cut on the skin to her surprise. "All good!"

"So, what's the drill? Why did you bring us here?" Naruto questioned her curiously, not knowing whether she was an ally or an enemy.

"Very well then, let me tell you two a story about the clans to which I once belonged, the Uzumaki and the Hyuga." She prefaced. "One thousand years ago, before any ninja villages had officially formed and the conflict between the Uzumaki and Hyuga was even a thing, the two clans came to live under one village. During this time the heir to the Uzumaki clan, a young blonde haired man, met the scion of the Hyuga clan, a young lady with long dark blue hair. To put it simply, it was love at first sight. The more they got to know one another, the greater their feelings became and before long they both knew that they wanted to solidify these feelings by tying the knot. Thus they explained to their respective clans their wish to get married. Of course, in this day and age this may seem pretty common, but back then most clans were very protective of their bloodlines and as such a marriage between the scions of two clans was completely unheard of. Despite this the leaders of the Uzumaki and the Hyuga were welcoming of the idea of a marriage between their children. The couple was ecstatic and with their marriage the Uzumaki and the Hyuga became great allies."

"Wait, what?" Naruto appeared a bit confused. "You're saying that the Uzumaki and the Hyuga clans were once allies a thousand years ago? As far as I know, our clans have always been fighting one another. It is only now after I don't even know how long that our clans are attempting a union."

Hinata was already feeling as though something about the story sounded awfully familiar, but Naruto's last comment made her appreciate that point even further. Nonetheless, she decided to listen on.

"Let me assure you, the Uzumaki and Hyuga have definitely been allies in the past. In fact, the two of you are living proofs of it. But I digress. Let us continue with the story of the couple in question. Although the two were happily married along with the alliance of their clans, there was a much deeper reason behind it all. The union between the Uzumaki and Hyuga was in actuality a preparation made by the higher ups so that the two clans could face up to a particular adversary, that adversary being the Uchiha." The girl explained before looking at the couple with a questioning gaze. "Now tell me, did the story thus far sound familiar somehow?"

Hinata's previous suspicion was now fully confirmed and thus she nodded her head, albeit reluctantly. "Yes…what you've said so far sounds an awful lot like the story between me and Naruto-kun."

"Absolutely on point, you've caught on fast. The story of the Uzumaki and Hyuga's scions from a thousand years ago and the story of the Uzumaki and Hyuga's scions now, in other words the two of you, is nearly identical in many ways." The girl said with a smile. "Perhaps what may be even more intriguing is the fact that the two people of the past that I've mentioned so far, their names were also Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga."

Naruto and Hinata's eyes widened in shock after hearing about the facts that there once existed two people so long ago in their clans who had the same names and lived through events that were very similar to ones that were happening to them. It was almost unbelievable.

"Now of course I understand that you may question whether what I say is real. So I ask you to listen on." Thus she continued on with her story once more. "Soon after they were married, our couple, Naruto and Hinata expected their first child. But this child was not going to be any ordinary one. It would be born with the blood of two of the strongest clans in existence. The Uzumaki and the Hyuga called it the "promised child", one that would be able to bring about a great change. Soon enough, the child was born with powers truly surpassing everyone's wildest imaginations. Those powers included the ability to surpass even a sage and ascending the Byakugan to a level never before seen. The offspring of Naruto and Hinata not only lived up to all expectations, but surpassed them." She explained to the two as several transformations overcame her, showing them mark of the sage mode beneath her eyes and the black dots within her Byakugan, signifying its ascendant form. "Can you guess who that promised child was?"

"YOU!" Both Naruto and Hinata exclaimed in unison. There were no doubts in their minds.

"Indeed, I was the child of the Naruto and Hinata of the past, and the two of you are my successors, ones who have inherited my powers. If you've ever wondered why exactly it is that you have such special abilities, it is because the two of you are the descendants of one common ancestor, the "promised child", from whom you have inherited the ability to surpass a sage and the potential to ascend the Byakugan to an even higher level. These are the powers that originated within me a thousand years ago due to my combined Uzumaki-Hyuga lineage, and now they've manifested within you two in the present."

"Wait, are you telling me that you've been living here for a THOUSAND YEARS?!" Naruto yelled in utter disbelief.

"Indeed I have been here for a thousand years, watching the story of the Uzumaki and Hyuga unfold as they tore each other apart. I have been waiting and waiting and waiting for the day to arrive when the descendants of the promised child would once again reunite their clans. I believed that history would repeat itself, and it most certainly has." The girl now looked at Naruto and Hinata with a huge smile. "The similarity between the two of you and my parents is striking. Looks, personalities, abilities and even your names. It is amazing. When I look at you, it brings back so many memories of my parents."

"But how?" Naruto questioned. "How did you live that long? And what are you doing here all alone? I don't sense any other person here. In fact, what is this place?"

"I suppose all of your questions are linked to one answer. You see, this place is known as the "Void World", or so I call it. It is a world that exists within a different dimension to the one from which you came. However, the two worlds exist in parallel to one another and are linked together in certain ways. I discovered the dark powers that originate from this place and eventually came to this world a long time ago. The reason why it appears to you that I've lived so long is due to the fact that time in this world flows much more slowly when compared to the flow of time in your world. In other words, a small amount of time passing here is equivalent to a much larger amount of time elapsing in your world. Plus these dark powers have some obscure effects on one's body. That is why I've been able to watch over the events of your world for a thousand years. That being said; do not let my looks fool you. I am certainly much MUCH older than I actually look."

"Why are you still here all by yourself? It must be terrible being the only person in this world. Why don't you return back to our world?" Hinata asked while showing sincere concern.

"I would return, if I could. But unfortunately, due to certain events that transpired in the past, I have become stuck in this world. I cannot leave this place. As such, I have pretty much become relegated to the task of an observer who watches and does little more. Even my powers have diminished to a miniscule fraction of what I was once capable of. But nonetheless, I was still able to share some of my powers with you ten years ago when the Uchiha had you cornered. At least I did my part in establishing the union between the Uzumaki and Hyuga, something that hasn't happened ever since the time of my parents. It has been a long time in the making." She explained wholeheartedly, given how long she waited to see her clans reunite once more.

"That's just sad. I couldn't imagine living in a world all by myself. How did you manage?" Hinata asked her in a sad tone.

"Well, I wouldn't say it was all bad. I can still interact with the other world in certain ways and I've been keeping myself entertained my haunting people in the other world." She said with a sinister smirk on her face.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked suspiciously.

"You know all the scary stories that people tell right? Like seeing figures, being followed by shadows at night, hearing frightening noises in their sleep, nearly getting dragged into a dark world…it was me. Man did I scare some people out of their minds over the ages." She stated proudly.

"Are you frikin kidding me?! Why would you do that?" Naruto was beyond words at this point.

"Come on dude. When you're here for a thousand years and bored out of your mind, you gotta do something right? What better than scaring the living daylights out of people and watching their reactions?" She asked in a mischievous tone. "It's not like I actually hurt anyone. Just messed around with them a bit."

"You're terrible for doing that." Naruto gave a straightforward reply, something that the girl did not appreciate at all.

"You better be careful. I can be quite vengeful." She replied angrily and chomped hard on to Naruto's right hand.

"AHHHH SHE BIT ME! SHE REALLY BIT ME!" Naruto yelled in pain and flailed his hand around like a mad man, causing the girl's body to thrash about in mid-air for a few seconds before she finally let go. Naruto blew air on to his now throbbing hand in an effort to reduce the pain. "WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU?! WHY WOULD YOU BITE ME LIKE THAT?"

"That's what you get for chastising me." She pouted. "Not even my dad would tell me off. He was quite a troublemaker himself. We used to cause a ruckus together."

"I don't think Naruto-kun is much different. He has his playful side too." Hinata said while helping Naruto blow some wind on to his bitten hand. "In any case, why exactly is that that you brought us here?"

"Ah yes about that…" The girl cleared her throat before a glint appeared in her eyes and she started to laugh maniacally like an evil super-villain. "I brought you two here so that I could trap you in this world! You have nowhere to run! You will procreate here until the end of your days and produce many more promised children! THAT IS MY ULTIMATE PLAN! MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"No." Both Naruto and Hinata looked at her emotionlessly and gave her a deadpanned response.

"Come on man. At least act a little bit scared." She sighed. "Anyway, in all honesty I brought you here so that you could get to know of this world and its powers a little bit more. As my successors, everything I have here is yours as well. In fact I'd love for the two of you to visit this world and learn more about the mysterious powers it can offer, which can help you in the future. Also, that large mansion in the background has been where I've lived ever since I came here, but I don't stay there very much anymore. I want you two to have it as your own house in this world. Please do visit. I wouldn't mind some company from time to time either. I can teach you some things about the powers you've inherited as well." The girl's expression now turned into a rather serious one. "Leaving that aside, I did also want to warn you about the Uchiha. As I mentioned earlier, the Uzumaki and Hyuga clans united during the time of my parents to overcome the Uchiha, as they were the ones who reigned with the greatest power. It appears that the Uchiha have not forgotten the defeat they faced at the hands of my clans. They seek retribution for the events that transpired back then. They have waited, planned and schemed for all this time until they were strong enough once more before striking. Now that time has finally arrived. The Uchiha will seek vengeance upon you."

The girl now looked at the couple with a deadly stare. "The Uchiha's eye is a source of nightmare. They will use it to haunt you, like when they tried to steal your Byakugan. HAUNT THEM BACK USING THE POWERS OF THE DARK...just as I once did."

Naruto and Hinata couldn't help but feel unsettled by the tone in which she suggested such a grim outcome, almost as though she enjoyed the idea of another's suffering.

"Why did our clans choose to fight the Uchiha? What exactly happened between them? Why do the Uchiha seek revenge so badly?" Hinata asked in a worried tone.

"I've been wondering as well, why did the Uzumaki and Hyuga go against each other if they were allies to begin with? Our clans have been fighting for as long as I know of." Naruto added another question on top.

"Unfortunately, those are long stories which do not have simple answers." The girl replied, at which point her body started to become somewhat transparent.

"W-What's happening to you?" Hinata asked in shock. She had never seen anyone's body start to disappear in this manner.

"It would seem that this is as long as I can talk to you for the time being. My existence in this world is also a bit of an anomaly. Regardless, I understand that you have a lot of questions and you may find a lot of your answers within the confines of this world. For now you must return, but next time you can visit this world at your own will by calling upon the power of the dark. Explore it if you're curious. I will be waiting for the next time we meet." She girl gave her farewell as her body nearly vanished at this point.

"At least tell us your name." Naruto made one final request before they parted ways.

The girl fell deep in thought. "My name…I don't remember it anymore. It would appear that somewhere along the line over all these years I have forgotten my own name. But I have a feeling that I may remember it if I'm around you two. In any case, I consider myself the princess of this Void world. Thus you can refer to me as "The Void Princess"."

With that last comment, her body disappeared and both Naruto and Hinata felt the same dark force teleport them back to their own world as the one that brought them here in the first place. The transit between the worlds was still rather rough for the two of them and within a manner of seconds Naruto dropped on to the grassy open field outside Uzushiogakure and Hinata landed on top of him, both of them unconscious.

* * *

The main idea I wanted to communicate in this chapter though is the fact that Naruto and Hinata are both descended from one common ancestor, but then again you may have known that already.

The other question I'd like to leave you with is whether you think this void princess is good or evil? This is deliberately kept a bit vague for the long run, so I'd love to hear what your thoughts were.

Next time we go back to pure silliness, or so is the plan. Until then, take care :)


	27. Misunderstandings

**Misunderstandings**

This chapter is filled with so many misunderstandings. Ones that will make you giggle, hopefully.

* * *

It was midday in Uzushiogakure. Naruto could sense a weight on top his body as his consciousness was returning to him once more. He also felt a very soft sensation on his lips and as he opened his eyes he saw Hinata's body on top of him and her lips touching his. They were passed out in this position since last night, or so it seemed.

It only took a few moments of his shuffling for Hinata to wake up as well and upon realising the position they were in she instantly jumped from on top of him and darted backwards in embarrassment.

"I-I'M SORRY!" She quickly apologised several times, finding it difficult to look him in the eye.

"I should be the one saying sorry for kissing you out of the blue last night. I took that girl's suggestion in the spur of the moment and didn't consider how you may have felt. I'm really sorry." Naruto also apologised wholeheartedly.

Hinata finally looked up to him and rapidly shook her head sideways. "I-It's okay. I didn't mind. I just didn't expect it so suddenly, that is all. In fact, I wanted for us to…do that at some point."

"Me too." Naruto replied happily after finding out that she felt the same way. "Also I'm glad that you aren't fainting from sharing a kiss like just now."

It took his pointing out for a blush to spread out across her face, but she nodded lightly to show her agreement. "I'm glad too…"

Naruto felt a little bit of headache still persistent from last night. "Ugh, my head still feels a bit dizzy. I guess it's the aftereffects of that cross-dimensional travel. I mean seriously, what the heck is going on? It's barely been a day since we got married and in this time we've somehow chased around a weird fox while meeting two people named Boruto and Himawari that just so happen to be historical figures within our clans. If that wasn't enough, we got dragged across to some cross-dimensional parallel world where we met a thousand year old ancestor who is supposedly the child of two people with the same name as us. I mean this is straight up crazy. I don't think any normal couple goes through all this in the span of one day."

Hinata couldn't help but agree. "At this point it is pretty safe to assume that we aren't any normal married couple. It would appear a lot has been going on in the background that we aren't yet fully aware of. Even our parents seem to have a much bigger political plan in regards to our marriage. None of this is what one would call particularly normal. N-Not that it matters to me as long as we can together."

"If not anything else I can agree with you on the last bit. Let's just make the best of the situation as we can, no matter what lies ahead." Naruto said to Hinata as he stood up and got ready to leave. "Alright, how about we get back home and get something to eat? I'm starving. Not to mention, we kind of just disappeared from home last night. We should probably get back anyway."

Hinata nodded and so the two headed back towards Uzushiogakure once more. Within about ten minutes they returned to the Uzumaki compound and were standing in front of Naruto's room. As soon as Naruto slid the doors open however, a landslide of gifts overwhelmed the couple in an instant.

"What the heck is all this?" Naruto asked from under the pile of gifts that buried him.

"Judging from the tags that seem to address the two of us, I think these are marriage gifts." Hinata replied as she herself struggled to get her footing while simultaneously not breaking the presents.

"I guess that makes sense. The marriage did kind of happen suddenly, so it took the guests a day to buy presents. But my goodness, this is a LOT!" Naruto finally managed to stand back up amidst the chaos. "We can't leave this mess out here like this either."

"Indeed, we need to organise and sort this all out." An idea came to Hinata. "Can you lend me a hand with your clones?"

Naruto instantly realised her plan. "Sure, sounds like a good idea. I'll leave you to give the directions. I'm not particularly good when it comes to organisation, especially on this kind of scale."

"Leave it to me!" Hinata replied confidently. If there was one ability she was sure about, it was her organisation skill.

Thus with the help of Naruto's clones, the two of them were able to once again bring some order to their room even though there were now stacks of gift boxes spread all over the place.

"Wow, that took some effort but we finally got it done. Great job Hinata." Naruto wiped the sweat off his head while dispelling the clones and raised his hand towards his wife.

She high fived him back. It was a joy to work together with her husband as they made for a team with great synergy. "Good work to you too."

It was at this point that Naruto saw a small gift wrapped in an unusual wrapper lying on the floor. He noticed that it was from Karin and instantly became curious. That girl wasn't the type of person to give gifts to others from how he knew her. He didn't even think she'd bother. When he opened the box though, his eyes widened to unimaginable levels and his hands shook uncontrollably in shock so much so that he dropped the box to the ground.

"What is it Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked as her attention was brought to Naruto from the sound of the dropped gift. "Why do you look like you've seen a ghost? What gift was it?"

"If my eyes haven't betrayed me, it's the fifteenth instalment to this fantasy role playing game series I've been playing ever since I was a kid."

Hinata picked up the box and did a double take when she saw the name on the cover. "No way! This game doesn't even have a release date yet. I've been waiting for it to come out for a long time as well. This can't be right."

"No, it can. Karin has a lot of connections to game developers. It is very possible for her to have gotten her hands on some pre-alpha version of the game." He replied while taking the box once again, ready to open it.

"I want to try it so bad. I can't wait to make my own Chocobo farm. Please open it!" Hinata couldn't keep her excitement in any longer.

Thus with shaking hands Naruto opened the box only to find it empty inside.

"DARN IT KARIN; THAT TROLL!" Naruto slammed the box on the grand furiously. "I can't believe I'd fall for that. She got me good again. She always manages to do this. DARN IT!"

"Wow…this was a bit mean." Even Hinata whose heart was made of rainbows and sunshine felt a tinge of pain from the prank.

"I'll get her back for this. I'll definitely get her back." Naruto promised himself.

The gift suddenly reminded Hinata of the one that Obito gave Naruto last night and so she decided to remind him as well. "Naruto-kun, do you still have the gift the man named Obito gave you yesterday?"

"Oh yeah, how could I forget?" Naruto fished around in his pocket until he found the small wrapped box. "I've been curious since yesterday. Let's see what he gave us."

Naruto took off only the front part of the wrapper and instantly stopped in his tracks when he saw what the front of the pack read.

"LOVEMAX

Maximum Sensation. Minimum Interference."

Naruto instantly shoved the box behind him and gave Hinata a very nervous look, sweat dripping from his forehead.

"What's the matter Naruto-kun?" She asked innocently. "What did he give you?"

"I-It's nothing important." He stuttered out.

"What do you mean?"

"I-It's nothing really as I said."

Hinata's curiosity was now getting piqued. "I want to know what it is."

Naruto got increasingly defensive. "You don't need to know. It's nothing."

"If it's nothing then why can't you tell me?" Now Hinata was fully on the case as she stepped forward towards Naruto.

Naruto took a step backwards for every step Hinata took towards him until he eventually reached the edge of his bed and fell back on it but still keeping the box behind himself. "You don't want to know. I'm telling you."

"I'll decide that when I see it for myself." Hinata got on top of Naruto and pinned him to the bed as a struggle ensued between them for the gift box.

Hinata's mother heard from a few people that her daughter had returned a little earlier. Thus she came to Naruto's room and was about to knock when she suddenly heard an outburst from inside.

"SHOW ME!" Hinata demanded aggressively.

"I don't want to." Naruto replied in a meek tone.

"I said be a man and show it to me already!" She demanded even more strongly.

"I'm not comfortable with showing you something so private."

"I'm your wife. I deserve to see it. Why would you try to hide it from me?"

A struggle seemed to have ensued as the ruffling of bed sheets and things being knocked over could be heard from inside the room. Harumi was getting very worried.

"No, don't Hinata. I said stop. I'm not emotionally ready yet!" Naruto cried out desperately.

"I don't care. I've waited long enough. After all this I WILL see it!" Hinata gave a stern reply.

It seemed like the struggle reached a breaking point as the bed creaked uncontrollably until the noise came to a halt.

Harumi could no longer stand and witness something unspeakable. Thus she quickly opened the door only to find Hinata on top of Naruto on the bed with a box of condoms in her hand.

There was a moment of silence before Harumi shouted at her daughter and dragged her off of Naruto. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING TO HIM?!"

Hinata was already embarrassed beyond words after finding out the contents of the gift box but to have her mother walk in on such a questionable scene left her speechless.

"I don't remember raising you to be like this. Unacceptable! This is unacceptable!"

"I-It's not what you think mother. It was…I wasn't…" Hinata was caught between a rock and a hard place, but she looked over to her husband who was the only one that could come to her defence and clarify the situation right now. "Tell her something Naruto-kun."

Naruto realised the situation she was in and his inner prankster was ignited. He wrapped his hands around his body like someone who was a victim and gave Harumi a devastated look.

"She used her Byakugan to look my special place and then forced herself on to me."

Hinata's mouth was agape as her fate had just been sealed.

Harumi's eyes were wide open in disbelief. "I can't believe it! My daughter is a n-n-n-ymphomaniac. This is unacceptable!"

Thus it began. One of the things Hinata feared since childhood. One of her mother's long rants. It was painful to hear her mother's chastising words, especially in front of Naruto, who seemed to be giggling like a little kid in the corner of his bed and made little effort to hide it. The verbal licking went on and on and there was little Hinata could say other than the occasional "HAI". The fact that the subject matter was so embarrassing made it that much worse.

"…is an act that you may perform with him when and ONLY when he is ready. It has to be consensual." Harumi ended the incredibly detailed rant with that statement. "Are we clear on this?"

"Hai…" Hinata gave a final defeated reply before looking at her mother hopefully. "Please don't tell anyone about this, especially not father."

"I'll consider it, only if you behave properly." Harumi now looked over to Naruto. "I apologise for her unacceptable behaviour. I didn't know about this side of her at all. That is my fault as her mother. Please forgive her. If she does repeat such acts please do not hesitate to tell me. Next time I'll take a much stricter course of action."

"I-It's okay really…I may have exaggerated a bit earlier." Naruto felt a bit guilty after seeing Hinata get so helplessly chewed up. "I think it'll be fine."

"Very well. If you say so I won't pursue it further." Harumi now looked back at Hinata a little less sternly. "This turned out to be a lot more serious than I initially envisioned. All I wanted to do was to tell you that your father and I will be leaving for Kirigakure tomorrow along with the guests."

"You're leaving already?" Hinata asked with a bit of surprise. Although it was inevitably going to happen, being apart from her parents and her clan for good was something that was still new to her.

"Indeed. Your father has to return back to his duties soon and the other clans have their own work. If there is anything you have in mind, let us know beforehand."

Hinata nodded and her mother took her leave.

"I'm sorry about that." Naruto apologised even though he couldn't hold back his smile after hearing the exchange between mother and daughter. "I didn't expect it to turn into something so huge."

"Don't talk to me." Hinata gave an emotionless reply before heading off to the bathroom to cool herself.

It was clear to Naruto that she was angry and wasn't going to speak to him normally, unless of course he did something to change that.

Thus he looked around and found Hinata's tablet, which she had brought with her from Kirigakure, lying on top of his kotatsu. He started up the tablet only to find an anime on the front screen. Instantly he recognised it as one of his all time classics. He opened up the episode Hinata was on and started watching it. It didn't take long before the show took him down memory lane.

"I am the bone of my sword. Steel is my body and fire is my blood…"

The chant sent shivers down his spine especially given the scenario in which it was presented by the narrative. Within just a few minutes Naruto knew exactly how to get a reaction from Hinata once again given that this was one of the episodes near the end of the show. This was his lucky day, especially for the prankster inside him.

Hinata came out of the bathroom a little while later after having taken a bath. She still did not make eye contact with Naruto, being angry about what he had done.

It was at this point Naruto said something that she most definitely did not want to hear. "I wonder if you have figured out yet why Shiro has such a similar chant to Archer."

Hinata looked over at him in shock, only to find him holding on to her tablet with the anime she had been watching open. "DON'T!"

Naruto had a mischievous grin on his face. "It is because Shiro and Archer are-"

Just as he was about to say it Hinata leaped at him in an attempt to stop the spoiler. They rolled around in bed until Naruto was on top of her and now pinned her hands in place, ready to spoil the plot point. His prankster self was really on a roll today.

Kushina had just arrived outside of Naruto's room to ask him to do something important. She was about to knock when she heard the sounds of struggling going on inside.

"Don't do it. I'm begging you, please DON'T!" Hinata pleaded.

"This is inevitable. Just accept it Hinata. You may as well accept it. There is no other choice." Naruto replied in an evil tone.

"NO! I'M NOT PREPARED FOR IT! I'M NOT READY!" Hinata desperately pleaded her case, but Naruto was unrelenting in his stance.

"It's time for us to experience this together. Whether you like it or not, you'll accept it!" Naruto said with a villainous smile.

"I don't want this. PLEASE NOOOO!" Hinata gave one final plea for mercy.

It was at this point Kushina knew she had to intervene before something unacceptable happened in her presence. She opened the door only to find Naruto pinning Hinata down on to the bed as she struggled beneath him. Everything instantly came to a halt for a few seconds before Naruto jumped off the bed and away from Hinata with a look of fear in his eyes.

"NA-RU-TOOOOOOOOO!" Kushina screamed her son's name in pure rage.

"I-I-It's not what you think mother." He explained desperately, but Kushina only saw blood. She was the type of person who acted first and asked questions later.

Naruto knew this and looked over to his wife, his final saving grace. "Say something to her Hinata. Tell her she has misunderstood."

It was at this point Hinata knew she could exact her revenge for all Naruto had done to her. Even though a big part of her wanted to save Naruto, there was an even bigger part that wished to see justice being served. Thus, uncharacteristically, she said the few words that would seal Naruto's fate.

"He tried to have his way with me."

The red Habanero was alive and it was ready to claim its victim. There was red everywhere and in the aftermath a beaten and battered Naruto sat at his kotatsu humbled, realising the errors of his ways.

Hinata genuinely felt bad for him, but she was more scared at this point. If she had learned anything from this experience, it was to never anger Kushina.

"If he tries anything weird again I'll castrate him myself next time." Kushina said to Hinata with a very serious look.

"T-T-T-T-That won't be necessary. I d-don't think he was s-seriously considering doing anything b-bad." Hinata quickly came to Naruto's defence after seeing how strongly he currently clutched on to his man part. She wanted to tell Kushina she had only been joking, but after seeing what had happened to Naruto she didn't have the courage to.

Kushina regained a little bit of her composure as she now looked over to Naruto. "I came here to tell you that your teammates asked for you to send over help to make the preparations for the summer festival tonight. We're a bit understaffed for the number of people attending tonight, which is much higher than normal. So yeah, make sure to help them."

"Yes of course." Naruto agreed wholeheartedly, not wanting to anger his mother a single bit more.

"Very well, I'll leave it at that." Kushina once again stared directly at Naruto with a deadly glare. "Take care of Hinata. Don't you DARE try anything funny, even as a joke!"

"HAI!" Naruto cried out in fear.

Thus, Kushina left.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know your mother was this scary." Hinata was shaken up by what she witnessed of Naruto's mother. "But you can't be upset with me. You're the one who started it."

"Touche. I'm not upset. I had it coming." Naruto was just happy he made it out of that one with all his appendages intact. "In any case, I think I need to send over some clones to help my teammates in preparation for the festival. And also give them a piece of my mind for the stupid gifts they gave me."

"Your teammates? Who are they?" Hinata asked curiously.

"Well, I'll keep it a surprise for tonight; or maybe not. You'll meet them at the festival. It should be fun." Naruto told her with a smile.

"I look forward to it." She replied, looking forward to learning more about Naruto.

* * *

Can you guess who Naruto's two teammates are? The hints were all there. Let's see how many picked up on them.

On top of that there were 2 more references to a certain anime and video game in this chapter which were pretty big. I'm hoping you guys picked up on them as they are some of my favorites.

Props to **Jormungandr1994, Ayrmed, mds777, YamiChaos27, Tiger360, Chewie Cookies, Nerdy228 and GenocideKhaos** who all guessed that Naruto was given a box of condoms, even to some of your embarrassment. I laughed waaaay too much after reading all of your guesses, especially the ones about a vibrator, lubrication and viagra lol. Ryuujin96, I better see what your guess was now that it has been revealed like you promised.

More silliness inbound in the next couple of chapters. Hope I managed to make you crack a smile with this one. I want to work on that humor tag for a bit. Until then, take care :)


	28. Summer Festival Part 1

**Summer Festival Part 1**

* * *

It was night time. Naruto and Hinata had travelled to a small island very close to Uzushiogakure. This place was known as "Festival Island" and it hosted the biggest fireworks festival during the summer in the Land of Wind, organised by the Uzumaki clan. People from all around the country would come here to enjoy the once in a year festival and tonight the number of visitors were much bigger than any other year given the guests that came to the wedding earlier. Thus it was incredibly lively.

Naruto and Hinata wore a Yukata and Kimono with their respective clan insignia on the back, dressed for the occasion. As far as the eyes could see there were different kinds of stalls set up across the beach, ones selling food, others with festival games and many more, including a gigantic Ferris wheel at the distance. Almost a countless number of neon light bulbs of various colours lit up the scenery and the equally uncountable number of visitors brought about a definite festive atmosphere.

"Wow…I've never seen a festival of this magnitude." Hinata said as she looked around the beach in awe, her eyes glowing with excitement like a little kid.

"YUP! This is a premier event held once every year by our clan where people from all over the Land of Wind come to visit for this one night. My parents were the ones who thought of it and started this many years ago and ever since then it has been a big success." Naruto stated proudly. "I hope you're ready to have some fun!"

Hinata nodded empathetically, ready to let loose with Naruto.

"Alright, in that case – LET'S HIT THE STALLS!" Naruto announced and the two set off.

There were so many options that it was difficult to even choose where to go. As they walked around they came across one of the busiest stalls, which was a shooting gallery where one would have to try and hit the small plushies stacked at the back to win them. Kids were flocked all around the stand in the hopes of scoring one of these cute little critters. However, Hinata's eyes fell on the grandest prize, a massive human sized plush toy that looked like some kind of weird cross between a teddy bear and a hamster. Instantly Hinata knew she had to have it.

"I want that! I want that teddy bear looking thing at the very back." Hinata told Naruto with determination clear in her voice.

However, everyone around looked back at her almost like they had seen a ghost.

"Did she just say she wanted Bonta-kun?" One boy asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, she just said she wants the legendary Bonta-kun." A young girl replied, equally in disbelief.

"No way! No one dares to get Bonta-kun. There's just no way." Another boy said to his friends.

As such a huge buzz started around the place as everyone looked at Hinata in a funny way. This made her feel very uncomfortable. She didn't know what she had done wrong by wanting the biggest prize. Wasn't that the whole point to this, to win it?

Naruto rested one hand on her shoulder and gave her a comforting smile. "Don't feel unnerved by their disbelief. The plush that you wanted is truly one of a kind. There's no second one like it and no one has ever been able to win it in years. It has become akin to a legend in this carnival. It's incredibly difficult to even attempt to get, let alone actually win."

Hinata was now getting nervous, but the old man running the game laid down an old looking pistol in front of her. "Ojou-chan, if you think you have the aim to win Bonta-kun then I'd like for you to give it your best shot. It doesn't hurt to try anyway. However, here are the rules. If you wish to attempt to win Bonta-kun, you first have to hit all 10 shots in the chamber within 10 seconds. Only if you can win 10 toys in such quick succession can you then attempt to win Bonta-kun. The stage is yours. However, since you are a ninja there will be certain changes."

As the old man finished his sentence, the stand with the targets moved deep into the store to the very back, almost ten times where they originally were and the targets started moving around as well. These were changes made so that it wasn't too easy for ninjas to win with too much ease.

There was a brief moment of silence followed by gasps from an ever increasing audience as Hinata picked up the revolver. All the eyes watching her were starting make her very nervous, but that toy was one she couldn't just pass on. Thus, her iron will stirred someone from deep within to take centre stage. Alter Hinata now gazed at her targets un-phased with her activated Byakugan.

"Step aside." She ordered the crowd, causing all the people to clear to the sides and everyone walking by to stop in their tracks to watch the spectacle that was unfolding.

To the surprise of everyone, Hinata jumped back to the opposite side of the road and increased the distance to her prize, giving herself an even further handicap.

"You're actually going to play this?" Naruto asked her curiously given Alter Hinata's character. "You didn't seem like the kind of person who'd run around trying out carnival games to me."

"I'm not, but my true self seems to hold a strong affinity towards that thing, whatever it may be." She replied while looking at Bonta-kun. "As such I will claim it."

"Oh…this should be interesting to watch, you of all people playing this game. I think someone as strong as you will be able to put on a good show for us all."

Upon hearing Naruto's statement everyone else also focused their eyes on the targets, ready to see what this unknown person was capable of.

It only took a moment. Hinata raised the revolver and pulled the trigger, knocking one target over. However, she did not release the trigger. Instead she started to slap the hammer at the back of the pistol while moving her aim over to the next targets. Ten shots fired within just a few seconds and ten targets toppled over. It happened so fast that the audience stood in place stunned.

"Simple." Alter Hinata said as she walked forward to the stall while twirling the revolver on her index finger, blew the smoke from the top of the gun and placed it on the counter. "Now then, on to the real prize."

The audience erupted in cheers and claps at the amazing display. Despite never having seen her before, Hinata's skill spoke more about her than anything else that could be said.

"WOW, SHE'S SO COOL!" One of the little boys from before shouted while looking at Hinata with glittery eyes.

"BE MY MOMMY!" The other boy asked out of pure amazement.

"BE MY DADDY!" The girl requested earnestly.

"No, I'm not going to be your mother. And I am most certainly not going to be your father. Not that it is even possible." Alter Hinata gave a curt reply before bringing her gaze over to the shop owner. "Alright old man, let's not waste any time. I fulfilled your requirement, so I wish to have a go at the teddy bear, or whatever it is."

The old man nodded and filled the gun with one special round before handing it back to Hinata. "You have one shot. Make it count."

Just as he finished his statement, the wall at the back of the shop opened up and the platform holding the special plushie went soaring into the distance on to the surface of the water, moving around in swift haphazard motions.

"What kind of crazy technology is that?" One of the spectators asked while having difficulty even keeping up with the target.

"I don't know, but because it's so far away and has such a fast yet random movement pattern, no one has ever been able to get Bonta-kun. And you only get one shot a year. If you fail there's no second chance. This truly is a legendary challenge." Another person replied.

Thus the now massive audience looked on in awe. Just making it to this challenge was difficult enough but to win was unheard of. What would happen now?

"Oh wow, this will be difficult even for you." Naruto said while looking over at Hinata for a second.

"Hmph…don't underestimate me!" He heard her stern reply along with the sound of the gun firing.

Naruto did not even have the time to look over at the target before he saw the unbelievable – Bonta-kun in the distance toppled over on its platform.

It felt as though time itself had stopped. There was pin drop silence. Every single person looked as though they had seen a ghost. Amidst the calm, alter Hinata returned the gun to the store owner.

"Too easy..." She made one last comment in her emotionless tone before deactivating her Byakugan and giving control back to the true Hinata.

She was so happy that she forgot everything about her surroundings and engulfed Naruto in a big hug. "I DID IT NARUTO-KUN! I WON!"

Time started to flow again and Hinata was met with a huge applause. It was also at this point Hinata realised that she had made quite the bold move by hugging Naruto amidst all these people. She was about to let go but Naruto hugged her back just as tightly.

"Well done Hinata! I knew you could do it. Your eyes truly are amazing!" He complimented with all his heart.

Hinata felt incredibly shy but when they finally separated, she nodded happily, satisfied not only with winning the prize but also impressing Naruto. She also decided to give away all the smaller prizes she had won to some of the kids watching her participate, deciding only to keep the grand prize to herself.

"Here is your prize, one that no one before you has ever laid claim to. It is yours. Please take care of it. I had it custom made." The old shopkeeper handed the life sized Bonta-kun to Hinata and she was ecstatic.

"Wow that is massive!" Naruto was amazed at the size of the plushie, which was almost as big as Hinata.

Although she was struggling to get a hold of it at first, Hinata suddenly got an idea to carry it.

"Naruto-kun, will you do me a favour and turn around?"

"Sure." He replied and turned around, allowing for Hinata to wrap Bonta-kun's arms around Naruto's neck which made it look like he was giving it a piggy back ride.

"Perfect! You look just perfect!" Hinata giggled like a little girl after seeing him carry the toy on his back.

Naruto didn't know what to think of it. Well, it looked a little silly but if Hinata appreciated it, he would go along with it happily. "Alright then, let's move on to the next attraction."

The two walked around the festival while trying out all sorts of fun attractions before finally getting the urge to get some snacks. So they decided to stop at a stand selling sweets where they grabbed themselves the famous "choco-banana", a banana stuck to a toothpick covered in a healthy coating of dark chocolate. This was a crowd favourite. Naruto loved it so much that he ate his whole thing in one bite, now looking over at his wife like a hawk. Hinata had just taken one bite out of her banana and her body shivered from the sheer deliciousness. She absolutely loved sweets, and this was certainly near the pinnacle. However, her eyes fell on Naruto who seemed to be observing her intently.

"Ano…do you want a bite maybe?" Hinata asked him in a considerate manner.

Naruto nodded vigorously in response. "I want to have a bite out of the one Hinata has had."

His statement caused her to blush but she extended her banana over to him nonetheless, happy to share it with him. What she did not see coming was Naruto gobbling up her entire banana in one clean bite.

"DELICIOUS!" He shouted while rubbing his belly, leaving Hinata with her jaws wide open.

"You said you'd take a bite, not eat the whole thing!" Hinata protested while jabbing Naruto ever so lightly with her gentle fist hits. She looked like she was about to cry.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I couldn't control myself. Here, let me buy you another one." Naruto apologised and was about to rush over to the store when Hinata grabbed his hand to stop him.

"It's okay. As long as you enjoyed it I'm happy." She replied, not being able to look him directly in the eye.

"Is that so? In any case, I wouldn't want you to get your stomach full anyway because otherwise you wouldn't be able to participate in the competition properly that's about to begin."

"Wait, what competition?" She asked with a look of surprise.

"It's about to begin shortly. Let's make our way to the stage. You'll find out once you're there."

After a few minutes of walking they arrived at a huge stage with an incredibly long table set up on top and a massive audience present and cheering for the show to start. A gigantic banner above the stage read: "ANNUAL RAMEN EATING CHAMPIONSHIP"

"Wait, is this what I think it is?" Hinata asked Naruto in awe.

"Yup, this is a competition to see who can eat the most ramen in the Land of Wind. This is the most exciting event of the whole festival where a champion is crowned for the entire year." He told her with a huge grin across his face. "Let me just say, I am a bit of a known man around here. I hope there's a good challenge this year considering all the new entrants. You're in it too. So show me what you can do as well."

Hinata was flabbergasted at the crazy arrangement. She did not believe the simple act of eating ramen could take on a form of such a huge competition with so many viewers. There seemed to be a TV crew present as well to broadcast the show.

"Seems like you're here just on time son." Minato appeared through the crowd and gently grabbed Naruto on his shoulder.

"Glad you made it. We need to head up there. Let's get going." Kushina also appeared next to Minato and directed her family towards their destination, to which they both nodded.

"Hinata, I'll see you in just a bit. The three of us need to make a special appearance to get the show started." Naruto informed her before looking over to his parents. "Let's go, mom, dad."

Thus the three made their way on to the stage.

"WELCOME ALL TO THE ANNUAL RAMEN EATING CHAMPIONSHIP!" An announcer yelled into the microphone, to which the crowd erupted in cheers. "This is the competition where we determine exactly who in this country has the fortitude to eat the most obscene amount of ramen in one sitting and come out unbroken. This year many will participate as we have the highest amount of entrants than ever before. However, all but one shall fall. Who will that person be – the true champion of champions? We shall find out shortly. But before that, let us welcome our returning champions from last year who will be defending their titles with all their might. First, put your hands up for last year's third and second place holders respectively, the unstoppable husband and wife duo of Uzushiogakure – KUSHINA NAMIKAZE AND MINATO UZUMAKI!"

There was a huge applause as the Kazekage and his wife made their way up to the stage and took their seats on one corner of the table.

"Now, without further ado, the man who needs no introduction in the ramen world, our returning champion – NARUTO UZUMAKI!"

There was a thunderous roar that almost shook the ground itself as Naruto jumped on to the stage and waved at the audience.

"You've been champion for 5 years running ever since you started participating. Do you think anyone can ever beat your insane streak?" The announcer asked Naruto and held the microphone in front of him.

"Well, I have no intentions to lose my streak now. I am the undisputed champion after all!" He gave a simple straightforward reply and with it the competition was ready to begin.

The rest of the challengers got up on the stage to take their designated positions. Hinata was amazed at how an eating contest was so wildly blown out of proportion, but nonetheless decided to partake in the festivities. She was shocked though to see her parents on the table beside her.

"You two are participating as well?" She asked wide eyed.

"Kushina got me into this saying it would apparently be a lot of fun." Her mother replied enthusiastically.

"_When did they get to first name basis?"_ Hinata couldn't help but wonder.

"The Kazekage and I fought a long time ago. I would consider him the strongest adversary I've ever faced. In that regard I would like a rematch. However I think a ninja bout is out of the question right now. So we must settle with an eating contest." Hiashi explained.

"_Really, an eating contest between the kages? That sounds even worse now that I think about it."_ Hinata once again thought inwardly.

Elsewhere Jiraiya and Tsunade appeared happy to be participating this year. They even had a guest with them – Sakura, who didn't seem very impressed.

"Why must I do this master?" She asked Tsunade with an irritated look. "Being in the same table as Naruto aggravates me, even if we are on opposite ends."

"Come on now, don't be like that. Naruto's pretty cool. I think you two should put your differences aside." Jiraiya tried to pacify the situation only to get glared at by Sakura.

"I really think it is good to relax sometimes Sakura. Overworking yourself is not good, especially not for a medic where mistakes can be costly. Think of this as a training exercise." Tsunade ordered Sakura, to which she reluctantly agreed.

Karin was also present with several other members of the Uzumaki and Namikaze. Alongside her was her long time teacher, Kakashi, who was as enigmatic to the audience as ever given that everyone wanted to find out how this man would manage to eat his food with a face mask on. He felt a little unnerved with so many eyes staring at him.

Obito and his son were also present, this year being the first for Kirito.

"Naruto-nii-chan, you better watch it because now that I'm here, I'm about to snatch away your title!" Kirito openly challenged both the person who he considered his mentor and his rival at the same time.

"Oh yeah? You better get your body ready because I don't intend to go easy on anyone. Not this year, not any year for that matter." Naruto replied back with equal vigour.

"You better be careful Naruto. The old and the new team Minato is present this year. Your title is definitely in the greatest jeopardy this time. Don't underestimate my team!" Minato warned his son in a playful but challenging manner.

"Of course I wouldn't underestimate team Minato. I know all about it first hand. Regardless, last year was too close for comfort. You were not too far behind me. This time I'll make sure to get a shutout victory." Naruto showed intense bravado in the face of some serious odds.

"Remember Naruto, it's only this night where I'm allowing you to eat as much ramen as you can. After that you have to control yourself okay?" Kushina reminded her son rather strictly, to which he nodded obediently. "Also remember, I'm coming after your title."

That last statement prompted Naruto to shout: "BRING IT ON!"

"As you can see, the Uzumaki family have had this competition on lock down thus far. Will they claim their positions again, or will we see the emergence of new champions?" The announcer asked the audience ever so enthusiastically. "Without further ado – LET'S GET STARTED!"

Thus the ramen was served and the competition was underway.

* * *

As always, I'll leave you with the question of who you think will take the top 3 and who will win? You probably even know where the inspiration for a ramen eating contest came from. It's silly but hilarious in my opinion, especially considering the winners. Apart from that there was a pretty big reference in there to a certain anime. This one is a personal favorite of mine.

From last time it would appear the video game was recognised a bit more as **Ayrmed, Tsukoblue, YameChaos27** got it but only **Ayrmed** and **Sashu** got the anime one. I would have thought the anime was quite popular.

**shadow-hunter104**: I should clarify that I DO NOT condone the giving of empty video game cases as gifts to others. That's just cruel and heartless.

**Ryuujin96**: I kind of tried to make the scenario a bit unique by having Hinata get scolded first and then Naruto getting demolished afterwards. I guess getting beaten seems to leave more of a lasting impression, although getting lectured by your mother to me is pretty devastating. I always dreaded it as a kid myself, so I made the whole scenario with Hinata and her mother.

**YamiChaos27**: I appreciate what you're saying, and you're not the first one to say it either. But leaving chapters with cliffhangers/questions is part of my writing style. Not to say it is a good writing habit, I just personally always enjoyed shows which left me guessing at the end with cliffhangers, but I understand not everyone may feel the same way. In any case, I do try to give answers relatively quickly afterwards. Oh and also, the reason Hinata did not use her Byakugan to see what was in Naruto's hand is because using the Byakugan brings out her other personality. So she's a little cautious about using it unlike other Hyuga.

That is all for now. In the next chapters I'll go into a bit more detail about Naruto's team, mainly because they'll play an important part in the overall plot. Until then, take care and be well :)


	29. Summer Festival Part 2

**Summer Festival Part 2**

* * *

The ramen championship was underway. It was an all you can eat contest where the contestants would have to ingest as many bowls of miso ramen as they possibly could within five minutes. The only stipulation was that one could not throw up before the contest was over and the results were announced.

Thus the contestants stuffed their faces like their lives depended on it while the audience cheered them on. The five minutes were gone almost in an instant and most of the competitors were panting in the end, trying their best to hold the food in. They certainly ate too much ramen for any single person, but it was now only a matter of time until the winners were announced. Nonetheless, some people did not look to be in the best condition.

"Sensei…" Obito cried out to his teacher while holding his stomach. "I don't feel too good. Augh…the food might come out, and I don't know from which hole."

"Don't say that Obito. Remember your training and just hold it in for a little bit longer, or else you'll be disqualified and all your hard work will be for naught." Minato replied while holding his own mouth shut and doing his best to control himself. "If you do anything right now I may not be able to hold it in myself."

While the master and student struggled to hold on to their positions in the competition, a certain mother and son were having a different exchange.

Kushina's face looked pale and she appeared ready to expel everything she had eaten.

"Mom you don't look so good." Naruto said to his mom in worry.

"Narutooooo~~~" She called out to her son desperately and grabbed on to his Yukata. "I ate way too much. I can't hold it in anymore. I'm about to throw up."

"WAIT WHAT?! NO!" Naruto exclaimed in shock. "Even if you do, why are you looking at me? The bucket's over there."

"As a kid there were many occasions where you threw up, peed and even crapped all over me." Kushina reminisced.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Naruto asked, somewhat worried.

"Now it's your turn. Lend mom your Yukata. I NEED IT!"

"NO FRIKIN WAY! DON'T YOU DARE DO WHAT I THINK YOU'RE ABOUT TO DO!" Naruto shouted his disagreement.

But Kushina was already at her limit. All that ramen she had eaten earlier and its half- digested remains came straight out of her guts. Naruto with his ninja reflexes barely managed to grab the bucket from the ground and shoved it in front of his mother for her to let it all out onto it as opposed to all over his clothes.

However, Kushina's action started a chain reaction. Both Minato and Obito who were also at their limit expelled everything they had eaten as well. Several other people all around the table followed suit leading to a spectacular mess.

"DISQUALIFICATIONS! WE HAVE DISQUALIFICATIONS!" The announcer shouted into the microphone. "Both the Kazekage and his wife, the previous second and third place winners have been disqualified for not being able to keep in their food. That means we will see at least two new faces in the top three this year. THIS IS A HUGE UPSET!"

There was a collective gasp from the crowd in response. Who would be the winners this year? The time to find that out came within just a minute.

"The results are in. Let us announce our winners." The host tapped on his tablet until a name popped up on his screen. "In third place, a completely new face and the youngest contestant we've ever had – IT IS NONE OTHER THAN UCHIHA KIRITOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The crowd erupted in cheers as the seven year old stood up on his seat to become visible to everyone and waved at them.

"Kirito…my son…you have done well. You've made your father proud…" Obito barely managed to praise his son before going back to throwing up some more ramen.

"Wow Kirito, I knew you were good at eating ramen but you've really exceeded everyone's expectations by placing in top three on your first try." Naruto appreciated him as well.

Kirito however looked a little dissatisfied at first, but he soon regained his positivity. "I thought I could beat you, but I guess I still need to do better. Next year for sure."

"Come forward young man and accept your trophy." The host asked the young boy to step up to the front of the stage and handed him a bronze trophy for taking third place in the contest. "I should also point out that Kirito-kun did not take third place because the winners from last year were disqualified. He actually ate more bowls of ramen than everyone apart from the two people ahead of him. So the disqualifications actually did not affect the results at all."

This announcement shocked the audience and brought them to the edge of their seats. What could this mean about the top two? Once again the time was nigh to discover the next victor.

"Now to announce the second place victor!" The host paused for a few seconds as the result once again popped up on his screen. "ANOTHER COMPLETELY NEW FACE, IT IS THE MIZUKAGE – HYUGA HIASHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

This was a shocker, for both the contestants and the audience. They could not believe what they were witnessing.

"I took second place. That is not ideal. The Hyuga should never settle for anything less than first place no matter the situation. However, I did out-eat the Kazekage to take this position. So I shall make do with it." Hiashi walked forward and accepted the silver trophy from the host and had the slightest of smirks on his face as he watched his adversary nearly passed out on the table from his predicament.

"Now then, it is time to discover this year's champion." The host announced in a very heavy tone, building suspense. "Will it be the five time ramen champion taking one more win under his belt, or will a brand new face overthrow him from his throne? The results are in."

There was almost pin drop silence amongst both the contestants and the audience. The moment of truth was at hand. Almost everyone unanimously believed that Naruto would win….but miracles sometimes did happen.

"Our winner…" After a huge pregnant pause that almost killed everyone out of suspense, the announcer continued. "Pulling off the biggest upset since the inception of this contest, THE WINNER IS HYUGAAAAAAAAAAA HINATAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

People's eyes widened. Mouths were agape. Everyone's gazes focused on the Hyuga's princess and there was nothing but disbelief. Even Hinata herself looked like a deer caught in headlight.

"I won?" She asked in absolute shock while pointing at herself.

"Young lady, I don't know how but you have most certainly won by eating the most bowls of ramen ever eaten by a single person in the history of this tournament. Please come forward and accept your prize." At the host's request, she stepped forward and received the gold trophy. "Everyone please put your hands together for our new champion – HYUGA HINATA!"

Thus there was a tremendous applause from everyone and Hinata couldn't help but feel proud of her accomplishment.

"Admittedly your eating prowess has far exceeded mine. You have done well my child." Hiashi said to his daughter while feeling great pride. "As I said before, the Hyuga must not settle for anything but first place, and you have demonstrated it first-hand. Now all must tremble before the ramen eating might of the Hyuga clan."

Thus a seven year old kid and the Hyuga dominated the contest this year.

"Thank you all who participated and everyone who watched, both live and on TV. We had an amazing show this year with the entire top three being brand new faces. Who would have known that Uzumaki Naruto's undefeated streak would be broken by none other than his wife?" The announcer asked the audience one last question before wrapping up the show. "That is all for today. We hope to be back next year with another amazing ramen championship. Until then, take care."

As the show ended Hinata remembered the fact that she had just taken away the first place from Naruto and rushed back to him to apologise. But when she got back he smiled at her.

"Congratulations Hinata!" He celebrated her victory with the utmost enthusiasm to her surprise.

"N-Naruto-kun…you aren't upset?" She asked.

"Upset? About what?" He questioned back. "You won fair and square. Sure I'm a bit disappointed that I lost but at the same time I'm glad that we were able to compete and a new champion was born. Plus there's always next year. I'm happier about the fact that you enjoy ramen just as much as I do. I always hoped my significant other would be able to appreciate my favourite food. Well done Hinata. You were amazing tonight!"

His words were sincere and Hinata couldn't help but feel happy about her victory when Naruto praised her.

"Should we try some more attractions?" Naruto asked.

Hinata nodded and gave him one of her heartfelt smiles. Even though Naruto felt shattered at first, he couldn't remain sad about the outcome since the greatest victory for him was to see Hinata's genuine smile, one that he wished to always protect. Thus the two were off to their next destination.

As they walked together, an announcement was made through the speakers around the festival grounds.

"All attendees, please be advised that the fireworks show will begin in 15 minutes. I repeat, the fireworks show will begin in 15 minutes. All attendees are urged to take position on the beach for the best viewing. We hope you will enjoy the show."

"OH, it's beginning already!" Hinata exclaimed in joy. She absolutely loved watching fireworks.

"Yup, and it should be quite the spectacle just like every year. We should go find ourselves a good spot." Naruto replied.

When he mentioned the idea of finding a good spot, Hinata's eyes instantly fell upon the huge Ferris wheel towering over them. She couldn't help but wonder how amazing the view would be from high up there.

"You want to watch the fireworks from the Ferris wheel?" Naruto asked her curiously.

Hinata nodded, not being able to hold in her excitement.

"In that case let's get there quick. We don't have a lot of time."

The two rushed over to the Ferris wheel, but once they arrived Hinata's enthusiasm came to a screeching halt. The line to the ride curved around like a snake and it was so long that it almost seemed unending. The Hyuga's princess' smile died down in an instant.

But Naruto took her hand and dragged her forward towards the ride, completely cutting the line until eventually they reached a much smaller separate line at the very front where only a few people were waiting.

"What's happening Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked out of surprise.

"This is a special VIP fireworks viewing line for ticket holders who booked in advance. Generally these tickets cost quite a lot and since they have to be exclusively booked beforehand, they are very limited and sold out. Our clan gets a couple of these since we are the organisers. I got my hands on two tickets earlier today for helping prepare for the festival. Pretty good deal, don't you think?" Naruto asked with a wide grin on his face.

Hinata's smile returned once again and she was ecstatic to go on the ride with her husband. "THANK YOU, NARUTO-KUN!"

"There's no reason to thank me. As long as you're happy, that's all that matters." Naruto replied as the two were now at the very front of the line and a small carriage stopped in front of them. "After you hime."

Hinata entered first and sat down on one side while Naruto followed her in and took the seat opposite to her. It was a relatively small space, ideal for two people as they sat face to face and started to be slowly lifted upwards.

"This is perfect. We have a little bit over five minutes left until the fireworks starts. We should be at the top by then." Naruto said as he looked at his smartphone to check the time.

"The view from here is amazing! I love Ferris wheel rides and I also love fireworks. I never got to experience them together, but you made this a possibility. Thank you so much Naruto-kun." Hinata expressed her appreciation wholeheartedly.

"As I said before, there's no reason to thank me. You are the princess. This is the least I can do."

Hinata coiled up a little bit out of shyness after hearing his remark. "If you keep treating me like this I might just get spoiled."

"I think a princess deserves to be spoiled. I always wanted to treat that girl from my childhood as a princess like I thought she was back then. Now that we're together I won't hold back. This is only the beginning, hime."

The way he referred to her as he once did when they were children made her blush a shade of red. "Thank you…Naruto-kun…my knight."

Naruto couldn't help but blush lightly as well from hearing her call him as she did when they were children.

Before long they were at the top of the Ferris wheel ride and could see a long line of people the size of ants lined up on the beach. They were so high up in fact that Uzushiogakure was visible on the neighbouring island. In fact, the archipelago of islands scattered across the waters and surrounded by whirlpools could be seen clearly from here, making for a breath taking view.

"All attendees, the fireworks show will now begin. I repeat, the fireworks show will now begin. Please look up at the sky." One final announcement was made.

Immediately following it the sounds of hundreds of fireworks launching could be heard and the entire sky was lit up with glowing colours. But this was only just the beginning. Almost an endless barrage of fireworks were being launched and as time went on the shapes lighting up the sky became more complex, taking the form of various flowers, animals and even entire landscapes.

"Wooooooow…" Hinata was truly lost for words as she watched the show with awestruck eyes and the happiest of expressions on her face. "This is truly amazing."

Even though everyone present at the show was busy watching the fireworks, Naruto's eyes were affixed on something else entirely – the princess that sat in front of him. He looked at her with equally awestruck eyes, her beautiful face only being accentuated and lit up further by the fireworks outside. She looked more dazzling right now than anything he had ever seen before.

It took a few seconds for Hinata to notice that Naruto's gaze was fixated on her. "N-Naruto-kun, you're going to miss the fireworks."

"It doesn't matter. Nothing right now could compare to you. So I'd much rather watch you instead." He gave a rather daring reply while gazing directly into her eyes.

His statement took Hinata aback, but she could see it in his eyes how sincere he was. She suddenly felt Naruto's hand holding on to hers, which were resting on her lap. She grasped them back without breaking eye contact with him. At this point, she was losing herself into his azure blue eyes.

The mood was perfect. The setting was even better. And there was one thing the two of them wanted right now.

Almost in a trance Hinata moved her face forward and closed her eyes. Naruto reciprocated by also moving himself forward until they could feel each other's breaths. At this point he also shut his eyes and the two closed the distance between their lips, sharing their first proper kiss as fireworks lit up the entire sky in the background.

The kiss lasted only for a couple of seconds as they quickly broke free out of their shyness and inexperience, but those were certainly some of the best seconds of their lives. They remained silent for the rest of the ride while still holding hands and watched the show, not being able to conjure up the courage to say anything. But they both felt a sense of bliss inside that could not quite be described by words, and they didn't want to try either. It was perfect the way it was, sharing each other's warmth through their joined hands.

A little while later the fireworks ended as did the ride and they got out on to the beach once again.

"T-That was a great show." Hinata was the first to comment her genuine feelings. "It's a bit sad to see the festival end though. I really enjoyed it."

"Oh it's not over quite yet. There's one more event left." Naruto replied in a somewhat hesitant tone. "I think we should start heading there."

"Okay…sure." His wife replied, not sure about Naruto's demeanour.

They walked inwards into the island until they reached the entire to the deep forest that was at the middle of the island. A lot of people were gathered here at the entrance.

"W-What is going on?" Hinata asked curiously.

"You'll find out right now." Naruto answered back as his mother stood in front of the entire audience to garner their attention.

"Welcome all to the final event of tonight's festival – The Test of Courage!" She announced to everyone. "To the uninitiated, it is quite simple. Groups of two adults will be heading into the forest in order to explore and find the small house at the very middle. The groups to make it to the house and sign their names on the notebook therein will win big prizes."

Kushina's tone now took a slightly eerie turn. "However, please keep in mind that there may be…certain things…that may try to impede your progress. Therefore be wary. As I said before, only two people may enter together, unless you have children, in which case you can take them with you. I hope you will enjoy yourselves and may the best teams win!"

Upon the end of her statement everyone started to separate into groups and line up to enter the forest. Each group entered at an interval of two minutes so as to allow the one before to make some progress.

"I LOVE TESTS OF COURAGE!" Hinata nearly jumped out of her shoes in excitement, garnering the attention of the people near her, which caused her to coil up next to Naruto out of embarrassment.

Naruto however did not share the same sentiment. He looked a little anxious with an unsettled look in his eyes.

"Naruto-kun, are you okay?" Hinata asked somewhat out of concern.

"Y-Yeah, I'm good. This should be fun." He forced out an enthusiastic reply since Hinata looked so excited.

However, Naruto's hesitation was nothing compared to the screams of a certain someone.

"NO, RELEASE ME! I DON'T WANT TO GO! I DON'T WANT THIS!" Minato shouted desperately as his wife dragged him by the collar towards the forest.

The crowd looked at him in shock and wondered what was going on.

"KUSHINA, I'M TELLING YOU, LET ME GO! THERE ARE GHOSTS IN THERE! I KNOW! I'VE HEARD MANY TALES! THEY'RE WAITING FOR ME! THEY'LL TAKE MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" He confessed his darkest fears, causing the entire crowd to sweatdrop unanimously.

The Kazekage was scared of ghosts, as silly as it sounded.

At this point the public embarrassment caused by her husband made Kushina go into her red habanero mode. "YOU BETTER QUIT YOUR WHINING AND FOLLOW ME DILIGENTLY, LEST I TAKE YOUR ASS BEFORE THE GHOSTS DO!"

"Hahiiii..." Minato squeaked in fear. "Help me Naruto…ANBU…someone…anyone….save meeee!"

But no one came to his aid. No one dared stand in the way of the red habanero.

"Sorry dad, you're on your own on this one." Naruto said to his father as he passed by. "This is mom's favourite event of the festival. There's no way she won't participate. Every year I'm the one she drags with her, but this year that liability rests upon your shoulder. Good luck my honourable father. It was nice knowing you."

"Don't make it sound like I'm going to my grave. I'll remember this you all. I will remember how you watched the sacrifice of your Kage and did nothing. This heinous betrayal will become a blight upon Uzushiogakure's history. It will come back to haunt you. Mark my words you traitors. MARK MY WORDS!" Minato cried out his parting words as he disappeared into the darkness of the forest with his wife.

"I-Is he going to be okay? Shouldn't someone help him?" Hinata asked Naruto in both confusion and worry.

"No…he'll be just fine. It's a family thing. You'll get used to it over time."

Hinata relaxed after hearing his consolation and now had a very excited demeanour. She couldn't wait to explore the nook and cranny of the spooky forest that lied ahead.

"In that case, LET'S GOOOOO!" Thus, she herself dragged Naruto into the depths of the dark forest despite his hidden reluctance to enter.

* * *

Silliness. More silliness inbound with some romance sprinkled in. Not to mention Minato's trials and tribulations are only just beginning.

From last time I need to bestow the title of mind reader on to **Redsox31** for literally stating every member of the top three with ease. I think most people knew Hinata would win, but this man was on point.

**Petran** – "Fumo Fumo Fumoffu!" (Translation – You're absolutely correct about the anime reference! The legacy of Bonta-kun is only just beginning.)

**|V|ulcan:** Thanks for your kind words. They always mean a lot :)

That is all for today. Let me know what you thought. I know I need to move the plot forward and explain a lot of things, but I want to write a couple of fun chapters, ones that hopefully make you smile, before we get back into the thick of things. So, until then, be well and cya!


	30. Haunted Forest Expedition

**Haunted Forest Expedition**

Man this site has gone through some troubles in the last week. I've been sitting on this chapter for the past 2 days or so but couldn't login, and even when I posted the chapter I came across some problems so I had to re-upload it. Sorry if this caused any issues for some of you. In any case, let's get started.

* * *

Naruto and Hinata walked side by side through the depths of the dark and eerie forest. There weren't any humans in sight, only tall trees that barely let in slivers of moonlight through the darkness, just enough to follow one's path. The only sounds were those of the wind rustling the tree branches and the odd night creature making its presence known.

Naruto could not shake off an unsettling feel, almost as though they were being watched. This caused him to move up close to Hinata and grasp on to her hand tightly. He hated scary things, this place being at the top of the list. Alas, every year he would be forced by his mother to attend with her and this time it was his wife who brought him along. He was hoping that Hinata would get freaked out after hearing the idea of roaming a spooky forest at night, yet her reaction was the complete opposite. As a man Naruto could not show his weakness to his new wife and had to tag along reluctantly. What was it with the women in his life and their love for all things scary, he wondered?

"Naruto-kun, are you okay?" Hinata asked given that he was holding on to her very tightly. "You've been acting a bit weirdly ever since the start of this test of courage."

Naruto was caught off guard by her observational skill. He couldn't let her know that he was scared. "N-No it's fine. I w-was just thinking you m-might be a bit freaked out by the atmosphere, so I decided to h-hold to you."

"I love this atmosphere. The tall foreboding trees, the darkness of the night, the shiver-inducing quietness. I love it all." Hinata explained excitedly. "The best part, you never know what might jump at you at any second."

That last statement sent a chill up Naruto's spine, but what happened next made him nearly jump out of his skin. Two creatures truly did jump out of the woods and in front of the couple.

"BWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Naruto screamed like a little girl and grasped on to Hinata for dear life.

Hinata on the other hand was more surprised by Naruto's sudden embrace as opposed to those standing in front of them, but she decided to console him nonetheless. "Naruto-kun, it's okay. There's nothing to be scared of. Just take a look at what we have here."

The poor Uzumaki was shaken, but Hinata's pacifying voice and her hands stroking his hair gave him the courage to face up to the unspeakable horrors that stood in front of them.

When he took a closer look however, he felt more ashamed than anything else. Two Uzumaki boys were standing in front of them wearing wolf costumes. This was supposedly to scare the participants, but they looked like they came straight out of a children's party.

Hinata barely managed to hold in her laughter while Naruto gave them a deadpanned look.

"What the heck are you guys wearing?" He asked them, unimpressed. "This is meant to be a test of courage, not a cosplay contest."

"W-We're sorry Naruto-sama." One of them apologised wholeheartedly. "It's just that every year Kushina-sama gives us directions on how to scare everyone effectively, but this year she was busy with your marriage and what not, so we were left to figure things out on our own. Needless to say, it hasn't quite worked out too well."

"You can say that again." Naruto replied. "You need to work harder, or the whole event will be a bust. As much as I may not like it myself, I know that a lot of people really enjoy this event and it is up to our clan to build up suspense. Plus mom would not be too happy if the event flopped."

"HAI!" Both Uzumaki replied diligently. "We'll do our best!"

Thus they quickly dashed off the scene to try and better scare the entrants.

"Sometimes I worry about these guys." Naruto sighed in defeat.

Hinata on the other hand rested one of her hands on his shoulder. "I'm more concerned about you Naruto-kun. You said earlier that you don't like this event. If you would have told me before I wouldn't have dragged you into this. I'm sorry for being inconsiderate. Perhaps we should exit before we go any further."

Naruto quickly shook his head side to side. "OH NO there's no reason for you to be sorry. I think at this point there's not much left to hide from you. As you can see I'm not too good with scary stuff. I kind of didn't want you to find that out and so I tried to act strong. But really, despite my reluctance my mom would bring me along every year with her since she is the organiser and dad would never come since as you saw earlier he is an even bigger coward than me when it comes to this stuff. But in any case I'm actually kind of enjoying this particular test of courage. It feels special since I'm with you, not something I've felt before. So yeah, let's keep going."

Hinata nodded her head gleefully as she felt the same way about participating in a test of courage as a couple for the very first time with Naruto. "I-If you really feel that way then I hope we can make it to the end."

Naruto nodded happily as well. "Absolutely, let's do our best!"

But just at that moment there was a rustling sound nearby and something jumped out of the bushes and latched on to Naruto's face, engulfing his vision in complete darkness.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH IT'S A FACEHUGGER!" He screamed in fear and fell down on his back, trying his best to detach whatever was so strongly attached to his face.

At that same moment something else started to repeatedly hit him on the chest.

"NOOOOOOOOO, NOW IT'S A CHESTBURSTER!" The poor Uzumaki shouted once again in absolute terror, being overwhelmed by the forces that attacked him. "HELP, HEEEEEEELP!"

To make matters worse the thing that was latched on to his head now started chewing on his spiky blonde hair, and whatever was hitting him on the chest was doing so more aggressively.

In the midst of this absolute terror that nearly overcame Naruto, he heard a word from an all too familiar voice – "DADDY!"

Chihiro, the Uzumaki girl from before came rushing out of the bushes as well.

"Yuhi-chan, Nagato-kun, you can't go rushing off like that on your own. You could get lost in the forest!" She arrived on the scene only to find Yuhi attached to Naruto's face, nomming on his hair while Nagato repeatedly punched him on the chest. She quickly joined Hinata in separating the children from him. "Naruto-nii-sama, are you okay? Please forgive me! For a brief moment I let them get out of my sight! I'M REALLY SORRY!"

Naruto on the other hand breathed heavily, having been scared out of his mind, by two kids nonetheless. He was just happy to be alive at this point. "I-It's okay. I'm fine. Just caught off guard, that is all." He now diverted his attention to the two kids staring intently at him, the girl with a huge smile on her face and the boy with a confrontational look. "You two nearly gave me a heart attack you know that!"

Yuhi smiled back without a care in the world while Nagato looked like he was ready to fight.

"Awww look Naruto-kun, she is such an adorable little ghost." Hinata said while pointing at Chihiro, who was wearing a white Kimono with two candles attached to the sides of her head above her ears.

"I'm not meant to look cute. I'm supposed to be scary." The Uzumaki girl replied in a somewhat frustrated tone.

"But you do look cute and harmless though." Naruto agreed with his wife. "You aren't going to be scaring anyone with that getup."

"EH?! Really?" The young girl appeared genuinely surprised, causing Naruto to facepalm.

"You guys really are oblivious about how silly you look. I guess this is what happens when mom isn't at the helm." He sighed. "We need to think of something."

For a few seconds Naruto appeared to be deep in thought before he gazed over at Hinata and his face seemed to light up in excitement.

"What's the matter Naruto-kun?" She asked back curiously.

"Chihiro, you do your thing and take care of the kids. Hinata, come with me. We've got work to do." Naruto grabbed her hand and dragged her off into the woods.

They walked for a bit until they were pretty deep into the forest with no one around. It was quite dark here.

"W-What's happening Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked once again, this time with a little bit of nervousness evident in her tone.

"Hinata I've got an idea. Since my clan is sucking so much at scaring people, I think it is up to the two of us to do that job. What do you think?" He asked excitedly.

Hinata's eyes widened. "EH? You want the two of us to scare people?"

"Yes, I mean come on. If we combined our powers together I'm sure we could come up with interesting stunts. What do you think? I feel like it could be a lot of fun."

Hinata appeared a little hesitant at first but she couldn't deny that the concept was interesting. Plus she didn't want the event to be a complete flop. Thus she nodded her acceptance.

"YES!" Naruto rejoiced. "In that case, let's get started!"

"Okay!" Hinata replied with equal fervour.

Thus the two of them began their self-assigned mission.

**A little while later…**

A young couple were walking through the forest by themselves in search of the hidden treasure house. They appeared to be pretty relaxed considering not much had happened so far. Little did they know they were about to become the first targets.

"You know, I had heard stories about the test of courage being one of the scariest experiences my friend ever had, but so far nothing remotely scary has happened." The girl said to her husband. "I really wanted to see what the fuss was all about."

"Yeah, me too." He agreed. "It feels like we're just taking a late night stroll. I'm kind of disappointed."

As the daring couple were busy conversing, they suddenly felt a shivering chill across their entire body. It wasn't just the kind of shiver you felt when you were faced with something scary; the area was actually starting to get cold. The couple quickly held on to each other and started to frantically look around them to spot the source of the sudden disturbance.

"W-W-W-What's happening?" The girl asked while shivering in fear. Before they knew it the ground below was covered in a thin layer of ice.

An icy gust of wind blew through the night forest and it was at this moment the man saw something terrifying from the corner of his eyes.

A woman with pale white skin as well as icy blue hair and eyes was standing within the midst of some trees, smiling at them. She wore a long white Kimono with snow flake designs embedded within and her sleeves were so long that they covered her hands entirely. She seemingly also had an ice lollipop in her mouth, which was a bit weird. Regardless, she raised her left hand causing another burst of incredibly cold wind to nearly freeze the entire area.

"IT'S A YUKI-ONNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The girl screamed at the top of her lungs.

The Yuki-onna (Snow Girl) now started to make her way towards the two, and with each step she froze everything in her vicinity. She finally raised her right hand and from within her Kimono sleeves came out claws of ice that looked sharp enough to cut through skin like knife through butter.

"Run…WE HAVE TO RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!" The guy shouted back, being scared out of his mind as he was nearly frozen in place right now.

The couple turned around and instantly tripped over on the icy floor. But they didn't care. They got back up and ran as though their lives depended on it.

Elsewhere, a little distance away, as he watched the distressed couple run for their lives, Naruto was literally roflmao-ing – Rolling On the Floor Laughing his Ass Off. He was the one who was causing the sudden disturbance within the forest with his ice and wind style techniques and he couldn't believe how effective the whole plan was.

As he continued crying out of laughter, he suddenly felt a cold embrace on his shoulder that made him scream like a little girl and nearly wet himself in fear. "NOOOOOOOO DON'T TAKE ME!"

"I-It's just me Naruto-kun." The previously alleged Yuki-onna replied and broke her transformation, turning out to be Hinata. "You're the one who helped me out with the henge remember?"

Naruto let out a breath of relief. "Y-Yes of course. I don't know why I got scared there. You just caught me by surprise, that's all."

Hinata sweatdropped in response given that Naruto was the one who came up with the elaborate plan of making her into a Yuki-Onna to scare others.

"What did you think Naruto-kun? Did I do good?" She asked excitedly.

Naruto gave her an emphatic thumbs up. "You were even more perfect than I thought you would be. I mean did you see those two run? It was hilarious."

Hinata giggled in response. "I wasn't so sure about scaring others at first, but this is kind of fun, as terrible as it may sound. Plus this transformation is amazing. I couldn't have done it without you. It almost makes me feel like a certain student from Youkai Academy."

"Yup, you look like the real deal Hinata. We should be able to-" Naruto suddenly stopped midsentence and jumped towards Hinata, bringing her behind cover under some bushes. He placed a finger on his lips and signalled her to remain quiet.

"Naruto! NARUTOOOOOO! Are you there?" He heard his father call out. "I swear I heard his scream a moment ago."

"You're just imagining things Minato." Kushina replied with irritation clear in her voice.

"How can you be so callous about our son? What if THEY got him? What if he was screaming for help as he was dragged into some kind of dark world from which there is no escape? What if our son is crying for help by himself while you shrug it off nonchalantly? You're a terrible parent!" Minato accused his wife rather uncharacteristically.

"Look, as much of a chicken as he may be in these matters, at least he's nowhere near as bad as you. Plus he's got Hinata with him, so he'll be just fine."

"Still, our son is…" As Minato was about to argue his case, he heard a cracking noise under his foot which caused him to run towards Kushina and hug her intensely in fear. "THEY'RE HERE! THEY'RE FINALLY HERE! HELP KUSHINA! HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!"

Kushina was taken aback by Minato's sudden embrace. It made her blush ever so lightly, making her remember their younger days as a couple. But when she noticed the reason why her husband was so perturbed, it made her blood boil.

"Look." Kushina stated curtly.

"No, I don't want to look! If I look I may never be the same!" He cried out while desperately holding on to her.

"LOOK!" Kushina was going to have no more as she forced Minato to turn around and look at the ground where the noise came from. "It's a twig! You stepped on a FRIGGIN TWIG for crying out loud. I can't believe this. The Kazekage being scared of a twig is RIDICULOUS!"

At first Minato couldn't believe what he was seeing, but upon further inspection he could confirm that it was indeed a twig he stepped on.

"Very well, it appears this area is clear. So we can move on." He said ever so casually.

"DON'T TRY TO PASS IT OFF LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED!" Kushina retaliated fiercely, nearly going into her Red Habanero form which caused Minato to dash away in fear of his wife this time.

However, he couldn't go far before his feet dug into something.

"W-What's this?" Minato asked in shock as he felt the ground below become soft and malleable, dragging him in. "I'M SINKING!"

Sure enough his legs were slowly starting to get sucked into the swamp.

"What's a swamp doing in the middle of the forest?" Kushina wondered while trying to pull Minato out.

They both struggled to get him out and the thick dark swamp made that task very difficult. After quite a bit of writhing and struggling, Minato finally managed to almost escape the swamp with only one leg left inside the earth. It was at this point the absolute horrific thing happened. Two hands came out of the swamp and grabbed on to his leg with a tremendous grip and started to drag it back in.

"Wait what?" Kushina could not believe what she was seeing.

Minato on the other hand had more than enough. There was a scream of utter distress that could be heard across the entire forest before he pulled his kunai, grabbed on to his wife and disappeared from the forest, never to return again.

Naruto and Hinata stumbled out of their hiding place, barely managing to holding in their laughter.

"Wow, I knew dad was bad with this stuff but I didn't realise he was this bad. That dark swamp worked like a charm Hinata." Naruto complimented his wife wholeheartedly given that she was the one using her Earth style techniques earlier to create the small swamp that trapped Minato.

"I feel bad for father but…" Hinata was really having trouble not laughing at the antics of her in-laws.

Before they could converse any further, they felt two more people coming at them. It would appear Minato's scream caught people's attention. Upon closer inspection it would appear those people were none other than Hinata's parents.

Instantly Naruto's prankster self was on the prowl "It's your parents Hinata. We have to scare them as well. Come on!"

"I d-don't think that's a g-good idea." Hinata replied, but Naruto had already transformed into a headless man and went off in his excitement.

"I was sure I heard the voice of the Kazekage coming from around here." Hiashi said while looking around, about to activate his Byakugan.

"Hmmm, I thought so." His wife replied while trying to locate the distress signal from earlier.

It was at this point that they felt a hand on their shoulders. They turned around expecting to find the person who screamed earlier, but found out a headless body in a bloodied Kimono instead.

Naruto was awfully proud of his transformation and was hoping to carry on his streak of scaring even more people, especially Hinata's ever so calm and collected father. What he did not expect however was for the Hyuga's leader to grab his hand in return.

"I've found you!" Hiashi said, his eyes glimmering in joy unlike ever before. "After nearly 40 years I've finally managed to catch a ghost! My dream has been fulfilled!"

The Hyuga's obsession scared Naruto as he fell on his back out of surprise. Suddenly, the hunter had become the hunted.

"GET HIM HARUMI!" Hiashi ordered his wife to which she nodded and took in a deep breath.

"Lava Release: Youkai no Jutsu." Harumi prepared to create a trap using one of her clan's signature techniques, but suddenly stopped and looked over at her husband with a smile. "Get it Hiashi? "Youkai" no Jutsu on a "Youkai" (Monster)? Am I good or am I good?"

"You're very clever indeed, my dear wife." Hiashi nodded his agreement.

Naruto was unimpressed by the dreadful pun but also realised that this was his chance to escape. Thus he dashed as fast as he could, reaching Hinata and taking her hand to bring her along on the run.

"The ghost has an accomplice! This is our lucky day! We must capture them both Harumi!" Hiashi shouted to his wife as he was now hot on Naruto and Hinata's trail.

"Yokai (Roger)!" Harumi replied, intentionally picking that particular word.

"Oh you are on a roll today aren't you?" Hiashi complimented his wife once more for carrying on the pun.

"Your parents are crazy and have a terrible sense of humour!" Naruto complained to his own wife at the same time.

"I was trying to tell you earlier before you ran off that my parents are really into the occult. You should see their horror movie and novel collection. They thrive on this stuff and perhaps because of that I'm not so afraid of scary things."

"Darn it; I got carried away! But there's no point complaining now. We just need to outrun them and it seems we are just in luck." Naruto saw what appeared to be the edge of the forest and made a jump for it along with Hinata.

And it was certainly the edge of the forest. But at the same time it was also a cliff at the edge of the island. Thus the two were suspended in mid-air for a few seconds before taking a tumble straight down into the water far below, effectively ending their haunted forest expedition.

* * *

I hope at least someone appreciated those plays on words. In any case, this time there're two references in this chapter, one of them from a pretty popular anime that links to the general theme of this chapter. The other reference is actually from a movie, or perhaps a franchise of movies to be more specific, also quite popular. I hope at least someone picked them up.

**Jileel**: I'm glad you appreciate the pacing. I don't write massively long chapters but the benefit is that I can update more frequently, which suits my writing style as well.

**ShadowImageComics &amp; Siatuvai1002**: Ask and you shall receive :)

**Larryjc**: You know what, I actually agree with you. I just realised that I've written 30 chapters without Naruto and Hinata yet reaching Konoha which is where the bulk of the story will take place. So yes from next chapter onwards the plot will move forward big time.

In fact next time I'll focus a bit on Neji and elaborate more on how he's doing. So until then take care and let me know your thoughts. Toodles!

Goodness that is a terrible word to say goodbye…


	31. A New Beginning

**A New Beginning**

* * *

**The next morning…**

It was time for Hiashi and the rest of the guests to leave Uzushiogakure. Thus he and his wife were at Minato's office to say their farewells to their daughter. Naruto and his parents were also present to bid them goodbye.

"Hinata, take care of yourself. I know this goes without saying, but take care of Naruto as well." Her mother said while caressing her face. "I know you're a fully fledged adult now with your own family but as your mother I still worry about you. So keep in touch, okay?"

"Of course okaa-sama, I will always be in touch. That goes without saying." Hinata replied.

Harumi now turned towards Naruto in order to address him. "I leave my daughter in your care from this point forth. She may be inexperienced, but please treat her kindly."

"OF COURSE!" Naruto responded earnestly. "She's always meant a lot to me. And to be honest if anything I'll be the one in her care as opposed to the other way around, but I'll do my best to always keep her happy."

Hearing his reply Harumi gave him a heartfelt smile, very reminiscent of Hinata herself. "I'm glad to hear it. You have my blessings."

It was now Hiashi's turn to make his parting remarks.

"My wife has put into words the bulk of what I wanted to say. But I'd also like to invite all of you to Kirigakure, whenever time permits." He added while looking over to his daughter. "Do make sure to bring Naruto along to our home at some point. The Uzumaki have been so hospitable towards us and we must do the same."

Hinata nodded in response.

"Of course we'll visit." Kushina replied. "There's no way I could miss the chance to spend time with Harumi. After all we've become really close friends. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too." Harumi replied as well. "I look forward to your visit."

"That is good to hear." Hiashi commented before shifting his gaze over to Naruto and extending his hand. "I do feel torn as a father about having to part with my daughter, but such a fate is inevitable. From now on, I leave my precious girl in your care. I believe you're the perfect man for her. As my wife said earlier, you have our blessings."

Naruto was quite surprised to see a smile on the Hyuga's otherwise hardened face. Thus he happily shook his hand and replied with a definitive "THANK YOU!"

"Father, please try to get in touch with Neji-niisan when you return." Hinata requested. "I'm worried about him."

"Of course, I would have done so anyway. Plus I'm fairly sure he'll probably contact us shortly. But I'll let you know what happens."

Hinata nodded and could no longer hold herself back as she engulfed both of her parents in a gentle embrace. Tears rolled from her eyes remembering all the precious, irreplaceable moments she had shared with them. "Otou-sama…Okaa-sama…Thank you for everything. I'll miss you both."

"We'll miss you too." Harumi replied, tears forming in her eyes as well.

"Be well Hinata, and remember that we'll always be there for you whenever you may need us." Hiashi added even though his voice started to break up slightly. "You are our precious daughter after all."

Thus the three of them shared a heartfelt farewell, shortly after which the Hyuga parted for Kirigakure.

* * *

**At the same time, in the Land of Lightning, outside of Kumogakure…**

Neji barely held on to his consciousness within the dimly lit room in which he was held captive. Many heavy chains weighed down all but one of his limbs, leaving him sprawled out on the hard floor in the most uncomfortable of positions. However, this was the least of his worries. The pain of his missing eye had reduced slightly, but it still hurt enough that the agony would drive any normal person insane. Despite this the Hyuga prodigy remained steadfast in the face of the hopeless odds he was faced with.

Almost on cue the door to his dingy room creaked open and once again the dreaded Uchiha walked in. Sasuke's eyes instantly fell upon the uneaten plate of food lying on the small table next to Neji and he was not pleased.

"It would appear you have not been consuming your food at all Hyuga." He said in his usual emotionless tone. "This is not acceptable. We can't have anyone getting the idea that the Uchiha are not hospitable towards their guests."

Neji instantly glared at the Uchiha with his one eye. "You think I'll willingly eat whatever drug-ridden food you've served me? You'll have to MAKE ME!"

For the first time that day there was a smile on Sasuke's face as he unsheathed his sword and held it in one hand. "Should I consider that a challenge? After all, we can't have you starving to death here."

"Hmph…I'd much rather starve than eat anything from the likes of you. So how about you take that plate and SHOVE IT STRAIGHT UP YOUR BACKSIDE?"

Sasuke's expression became visibly darker. "It would appear you need some persuasion."

In just a moment's notice he raised his sword and brought it down with immense force, making it dig right through Neji's kneecap and come out of the other end.

There was a muffled cry of pain as the poor Hyuga's right kneecap shattered from the force, but he endured the agony.

However, Sasuke was only getting started. "That looks like it hurt. I'm sorry, ALLOW ME TO FIX IT!"

An intense burst of lightning flowed through the sword and surged through Neji's right foot, so powerful that it burned his entire leg to crisp leaving him essentially one limb short. The revolting smell of scorched human flesh now permeated the entire room. The sudden loss of one leg left Neji in shock at first, but the intense pain soon started to set in.

"There you go. I took care of it for you. I got rid of your leg, so it shouldn't be causing you issues any longer." Sasuke said with a sick smile on his face. "Now then, let us try again. Why don't you eat your food?"

He offered the plate of food once more.

There was a moment of silence as Neji reached out his hand for the plate, but just when it looked like he was going to oblige, Neji took the plate of food and threw it right at Sasuke, splattering it all over his clothes.

But this was a mistake. A very big mistake. Neji only understood this seconds later when he suddenly saw a flash and his right hand detach from his body. Sasuke had swung his sword in the blink of an eye and severed Neji's arm clean off his body.

The colour red splattered the floors followed by a scream of unbridled pain. The agony was too much for the Hyuga to hold in any longer. Losing not one but two limbs in such a short space of time was certainly overwhelming, especially after losing an eye not too long ago. Tears flowed from Neji's one remaining eye as he gave it his all to endure the unimaginable torment.

Sasuke sheathed his sword and without any further words exited the room. Half a minute later several medics rushed in to stop the intense bleeding and to treat the Hyuga as necessary in order to keep the prisoner alive. As painful as it may be, Neji's trials and tribulations were only going to get worse.

* * *

**Two weeks later...**

**In the Land of Wind, at the harbour of Uzushiogakure…**

The time had finally arrived for Naruto and Hinata to leave for Konoha. As such the Uzumaki clan was present to see their heir off.

"All the arrangements are complete in Konoha. Upon arrival you'll find your own house there. Although nothing extravagant, it'll be one you can call your own. We've already sent over most of your necessities and the Hyuga have sent over Hinata's belongings from Kirigakure, so settling in should be a little easier." Minato explained. "Also, further to my mission briefing the Sarutobi will be able to fill you in on the details regarding the situation at Konoha. And Kakashi will also be able to advise you in my stead as necessary. In any case, you two should make yourself at home there and the others will arrive shortly afterwards."

"Alright sounds good." Naruto replied. "We'll get in touch once we arrive."

Karin stepped forward from amongst the rest to address Naruto directly and gave him a game case.

"Look I'm sorry about the empty game case I gave you as a marriage gift. Here's one that I think the two of you will enjoy." She seemed to have a sad look on her face. "I never thought about it this way, but you've been like a childhood friend more than my cousin. We played together and argued a lot as kids but it was always fun to hang out. Then we ended up becoming teammates and went on many missions together. So it's kind of sad to see you go, and not only you either but also my other teammate as well as our teacher. Almost feels like I'm the only one being left behind. ANYWAY, I didn't want to get all mellow on you now. All I wanted to say is take care. I'm sure it'll be challenging there in the Land of Fire, but I'm sure you can overcome whatever you face. Plus HE will be there to help you."

Naruto couldn't help but smile happily at his long time friend and family member. "Thanks Karin. I know we bicker all the time but it's always fun to have you around. You should visit me sometime. Oh and look out for Yuhi and Nagato. Although I'm sure everyone will chime in, I'm leaving them primarily in your care since you're probably the next closest to them after me."

"Yeah don't worry about it. I'll keep an eye on them. So you go do your thing. I'm sure they'd still be crying their eyes our right now if they hadn't fallen asleep while tearing up from seeing you go. I'll make sure to bring them along with me when I do come to visit."

"I look forward to it."

After the teammates said their goodbyes, Kushina was the final person to have a word. But she just hugged her son and started crying loudly like a little girl.

"Kushina… I was hoping it wouldn't come to this." Minato sighed. "He's just going on a mission."

"But...But…my baby boy has never been away for this long." She sniffled woefully.

"Mom, it's not like I'm going away forever. I know it'll be for a while but you can just visit me in Konoha whenever you like." Naruto tried his best to pacify his mother by embracing her back. "So come on, stop crying. It'll be the worse way to see me off."

"Okay…" Kushina nodded and wiped away her tears, turning to Hinata. "Don't let him eat too much ramen."

"REALLY NOW?! Of all the things you could say to her that's the one thing you decide to mention?"

"That's because I know you'll go crazy now when you're away from me."

Hinata couldn't help but giggle at the exchange. The relation between Naruto and Kushina fascinated her to no end knowing how much they cared for one another.

"Do not worry okaa-sama, I'll keep an eye out on his diet in your stead. You've taught me well over the past week on his preferences. I shall put them into practice."

"I'm glad to hear it. Then I leave him to you." Kushina replied happily. "I suppose it's time for you to set off. Take care both of you, and see you soon!"

"We will." Hinata said with a smile as she and Naruto boarded the ferry.

"Visit us in Konoha with dad once we've settled in." Naruto shouted to his mother from on deck.

"Of course!" His mother yelled back.

"BYE!" Everyone present at the harbour shouted in unison.

"We'll be off then!" Naruto replied to his family and friends as the ferry took off shortly.

The ferry was medium sized, travelling between Uzushiogakure and a small port town in the Land of Fire. The journey took several hours and was one of the quickest and easiest paths to Konoha since the port town was not too far away from Konoha by foot.

Naruto had just bought two cone ice creams from an on-board shop and was headed up to the deck of the ferry to meet up with his wife. It didn't take long to spot her either as she was leaning over on the guard rail on one side while looking out into the sea.

"Enjoying the great view?" Naruto asked as he approached her from behind and offered her one of the ice creams. "Which one do you want? Strawberry or chocolate?"

Hinata was deep in thought. She loved both flavours and asking her to choose between the two was like telling her to choose between her two children that she didn't have. Regardless she was faced with a great dilemma.

Naruto started laughing at the sight. "If you're really having that much trouble deciding then how about you take them both? I can always get another one."

"N-No that won't be necessary. Better yet, let us share." Hinata took the strawberry flavoured one from him but licked the chocolate one that he was holding.

"Well if you're gonna be that way…" Naruto took a huge bite out of the ice cream Hinata was holding, making a mess of his face in the process.

"AH, THAT'S NOT FAIR!" Hinata complained but at the same time saw a chunk of cream stuck to Naruto's nose. Thus she decided to do something bold and licked it off of his face. "Delicious…"

That move made Naruto back up several steps in shock. "W-W-W-What are you doing?"

Hinata was too embarrassed at this point and thus quickly changed the subject. "N-N-Naruto-kun, you said you'd make me meet your teammates, but so far I've only seen one of them since Karin showed up to say goodbye. But she said your other teammate is coming to Konoha with us. Who is this person?"

"You've already met him Hinata, the day after our wedding in fact." Naruto said casually.

Hinata however looked surprised. "Who is he?"

"It's Obito. Me, Karin and Obito were a team and Kakashi-sensei, the man with the mask, was our teacher."

"Wait but didn't your father mention that Obito-san was one of his students? In fact weren't Obito-san and Kakashi-san both part of your father's team, Team Minato? Then how was he your teammate?"

"Well that's because I was part of Team Minato." Naruto once again replied ever so nonchalantly.

"EHHHHH!?" Hinata was flabbergasted.

"I suppose I should explain. You see both Kakashi-sensei and Obito were indeed my father's students, along with Rin, Obito's wife. But Rin passed away during a mission and father had already retired from his team after becoming the Kazekage. So Team Minato was pretty much broken up at that point. But dad wanted to keep it alive, so he assigned me and Karin alongside Obito to form a new Team Minato and made Kakashi-sensei our teacher. I'm sure it was to help Obito as well at the time since he was raising Kirito by himself and the Uzumaki clan supported him. In any case, even though Kakashi-sensei was our teacher, we ended up learning more from Obito about being a ninja than anyone else. That's why the three of us are so close."

"I see…" Hinata finally understood that his teammates were all around her without her even knowing. "It all makes sense now. That's why you were so supportive of Obito-san."

"YUP! He and Karin are like the siblings I never had. We worked great as a team together. But now it's time for you and me to work as an even better team…no, THE ULTIMATE TEAM! I look forward to it!" Naruto said with a huge grin.

"Me too!" Hinata replied just as excitedly.

Thus the two chatted away their time on the deck until eventually they reached the port town in the Land of Fire. Even though it was evening Naruto suggested that he and Hinata could make it to Konoha today. So rather than resting they headed towards Konoha through the deep forest. However, after an hour of on-foot travel through the trees it was already dark and they decided they needed to take some rest.

"What do we do now? Do we keep going? Or should we wait out the night somewhere in the forest?" Hinata inquired her husband. "It's already pretty dark."

Naruto thought for a second before an idea stuck him.

"Actually I have a place where we can rest. Plus I've been wanting to go there for a while since I've been curious ever since. What do you say?" He asked while extending his hand towards her.

"Okay, if it's somewhere you want to go then sure." Hinata agreed and took his hand.

Within moments the two teleported away from the forest through a dark void.

* * *

_**End of Arc: An Old But New Union**_

* * *

As the line above would suggest, I'm going to tell this story in arcs. With this chapter the current arc which focused on Naruto and Hinata's marriage as well as introducing the important characters is done. So in the next arc the focus will shift on to Konoha and Naruto and Hinata's life there.

Once again, I loved the fact that some of you picked up the references from last chapter. This time big props go to **GenocideKhaos** and **mds777** for picking them up.

**larryjc:** Yes I do know Ice Release is supposed to be a Keke Genkai, but as I've mentioned before there is no clan in this story to which the Ice Release belongs to. There is no Yuki clan, no Haku. Naruto is the only person in the world right now who has Ice Release and no one knows why. It is a mystery that will be explained as the story progresses.

As always I love reading your opinions, so let me know your thoughts on this chapter and this arc in general. I will catch you all soon in the second arc of this story which I'll set off next time by introducing you to two new characters. Characters whose names happen to be Naruto and Hinata...whatever that could mean lol. Until next time, be well.


	32. The Family That Wrote History Part 1

**The Family That Wrote History Part 1**

Alright, it's time we started off the new arc with a rather meaty chapter. But before we begin here are a few words I'll be using a bit throughout this arc that you all probably know the meanings to but I'll put them here as reference for anyone who may not know:

_Haha-ue, Chichi-ue, Ane-ue:_ Highly respectful and archaic way of calling your mother, father and older sister.

Other than that you may already know what's coming up from just those three words above. So let's get on with the show.

* * *

_**Start of Arc: The Consortium**_

* * *

Naruto and Hinata dropped once again on to the garden of black flower petals. Instantly the cold and eerie feeling of this unfamiliar place sent a shiver up their spines as their bodies adjusted to the alien world. Perpetual darkness still pervaded everything as far as the eyes could see since the sun was covered up by the moon in a state of a permanent solar eclipse. They were certainly in the Void World.

"This is the place you wanted to explore?" Hinata asked Naruto in a bit of surprise.

"Yeah, I've been curious ever since we first got here. I want to take a look inside." He replied while pointing at the huge mansion not too far away.

Hinata nodded and the two walked along the pathway through the garden connecting to the estate. Within a minute or so the couple were standing in front of two huge doors that were the height of several humans. Naruto barely even touched even touched the handle on one of the doors before they both slowly creaked open before them, without any human assistance. For a second the couple wanted to take a step back and re-evaluate the situation, but curiosity got the better of them as they stepped through the doorway and on to the foyer of the mansion.

It took them a second to take in the atmosphere. This place was huge, bigger than any single room that either of them had ever seen in their life. The scale of the foyer was massive as many doorways and several stairways connected to various parts of the mansion. The room was very well decorated with huge chandeliers dimly lighting up the entire place. What was truly unbelievable however was that this mansion belonged to just one person, the Void princess – the girl with the Uzumaki and Hyuga heritage that lived in this world all by herself for a 1000 years.

As they looked around one thing in particular caught both Naruto and Hinata's attention almost immediately. It was these bigger than life empty picture frames that were hung up on walls all over the place. Something was so very off about them. The couple moved over to the closest one to their left to investigate further.

"Hmmm…I've never seen a frame like this before, but I wonder why there is no picture within." Hinata thought aloud, her curiously piqued.

"Yeah, I mean who puts up empty picture frames in the first place? That's really weird." Naruto replied and decided for whatever reason to touch the frame, but as soon as he did so the entire thing sprung to life, causing the couple to jump back a few steps in shock.

Not only was there a picture within the frame, the people in that picture were moving. It was almost like watching a video.

Right now the frame displayed an event of a particular family from a 1000 years ago. It was a window that told the story of the past. A story that had become lost in time. A story that linked directly to Naruto and Hinata, as they would discover from this point forth. Thus they started watching the story of the past unfold within the huge picture frame.

**Tale of the Consortium (1000 years ago)**

A thousand years ago…on one particular morning within the Uzumaki-Hyuga district of a certain village…

It was a medium sized house. Nothing too extravagant but at the same time beautifully decorated and very well kept. It was a place that could be called "home". One could feel the warmth of its inhabitants just by taking a quick look around, and it was easy to tell that the family that owned this place had been living here happily for a long time. It was all very peaceful.

The Void princess, or at least a younger 9 year old version of her was running around the dining table of the living room with her arms outstretched like a plane. She had long waist level blonde hair, but most peculiar was an even longer thin strand of blue hair that extended out from the front of her head and reached all the way down below her face. This little blue strand not only stuck out from her otherwise blonde hair, but also seemed to have a life of its own, spinning around like a helicopter's rotor blades as though the little girl was consciously controlling it.

"Look mommy I'm flying!" She shouted out to her mother who was currently preparing breakfast in the open kitchen area that connected to the living room.

The Void princess's mother was a woman in her late twenties. Her defining attributes were her long midnight blue hair and the white eyes that showed the lineage of a Hyuga. Her name was Hinata Hyuga, a figure of unparalleled importance within the village in which they lived and in fact the rest of the ninja world at the time. She was best known by the epithet – "Eyes of the Consortium".

As the present Hinata watched, she could not believe her eyes. The Hinata of the past, mother of the Void princess was nearly a splitting image of herself, even though they lived 1000 years apart in time. Despite the shock she continued to watch the past unfold before her very eyes within the picture frame.

The Hinata of the past looked over at her daughter and sighed in defeat. "I thought I told you to sit down at the table, but I guess that was too much to ask. You know, I'm always amazed at how you manage to get so much energy all the time. Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised. You're an Uzumaki after all, and if there's anything I've learned about the Uzumaki from your father then it is that they are very hyperactive."

"HEHE!" The little girl stopped dead in her tracks and grinned audibly at her mother.

Hinata couldn't help but get a feeling of dejavu. That smile really did remind her of her husband. Thinking of her husband, she now looked over at the clock to see that it was already nine in the morning. It was about time for him to wake up.

"I know it's the weekend but it's already quite late. Would you do me a favour and wake up your father?" Hinata requested.

"OF COURSE I'LL WAKE DADDY UP! YAAAAAAAAAY!" She screamed in joy and dashed upstairs towards her parents' bedroom.

"Don't be too rough…" Hinata tried to suggest, but her daughter was long gone.

Upstairs the Void princess slowly pushed the door open ever so gently and tiptoed her way in so as not to wake her father up. He appeared to be deep asleep.

Her father was also a man in his late twenties. His spiky blonde hair would allow almost anyone to notice the relationship between father and daughter. He was Naruto Uzumaki, one of the strongest ninja within not only the village in which they lived, but even the entire ninja world at the time. He was best known by his epithet – "Body of the Consortium".

Together the parents of the Void princess – Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga formed the "Eyes and Body of the Consortium", a couple that was unmatched in their prowess and accomplishments.

Once again the similarity between this Naruto of the past and the Naruto of the present was striking, the two being nearly identical to one another in terms of their appearance.

The Void princess surveyed the situation ever so carefully with her Byakugan, making sure not to wake up her father. Once she had observed enough she got into position, not being able to hold in her excitement.

"_I'll wake him up with his own technique!"_ She thought inwardly and made a mad dash for her father, leaping into the air midway through her run and came crashing down on to the bed with a thunderous crack. She did not expect however the impact being so strong that she not only broke the bed in half but also caused the entire house to shake as though an earthquake had just hit.

Luckily her father woke up at the last second and was able to slide away in time. He was still in shock nonetheless. "W-What just happened? What are you doing?"

"Oops! Mommy told me to wake you up but it looks like I overdid it." She replied while sticking out her tongue playfully. She knew that she could get away with it despite her mishaps when it came to her father.

"You call this waking someone up? You could have broken me in half if I didn't get off in time." Naruto replied while taking in a deep breath to regain his composure. "That being said though, my little girl is getting ridiculously strong! THAT WAS SOME AMAZING POWER!"

Her face lit up from being acknowledged by her father as she rushed towards him and engulfed him in a massive hug. "HEHE – THANKS! I love you daddy!"

Naruto hugged her back and ruffled her blonde hair. "That's my little girl. I love you too of course!"

Thus the two shared a father-daughter moment amidst the broken mess that was the bedroom right now. But Naruto didn't care. There was nothing he enjoyed more than waking up to the embrace of his baby girl. He had a truly soft spot for her in his heart, one that led to his daughter's somewhat spoilt nature.

At that very moment Hinata rushed in through the door with her Byakugan activated. One glimpse at the mess that was the bedroom right now and she focused her menacing vision on to the two people before her.

The Void princess instantly slipped behind her father in fear, knowing that he was the only saving grace she had left. Her mother was clearly upset and that was never a good thing.

"H-Hinata-san…let us calm down. It was me. It was my fault. I'll get everything fixed. She's not to blame." Naruto quickly came to his daughter's defence against a visibly angry Hinata. He would do anything to protect her.

"No, that is enough." Hinata replied sternly to her husband. "You always do this. You always overlook her shortcomings and end up spoiling her. She needs to understand when she has gone overboard with her mischiefs. This time you won't get in my way. She must learn to be disciplined. I cannot allow the child of the Hyuga clan leader to go astray in this manner."

The Void princess shivered from hearing her mother's ultimatum. Thus she quickly looked up at her father with teary eyes and said to him in the most hopeless of tones: "Help me…"

That was enough. Naruto's heart cried out in pain after seeing his child pleading to him in the most desperate of tones. There was no way he could let her go through any pain. He would sacrifice himself for her sake.

"You may be right, but I don't care if she's a bit spoiled. She's my baby after all. She's the child of the Uzumaki clan leader as well. SO I DON'T CARE!" Naruto replied to Hinata ever so defiantly while grabbing his daughter in the tightest of embraces in order to protect her. No one could separate her from him.

This did not go well with Hinata as she started to make her way towards her family members. The Hyuga and Uzumaki clan leaders were at contention over their child and this could get ugly. Naruto knew he was in the wrong this time but despite that fact he still held on to his child for dear life as both father and daughter closed their eyes and braced for whatever was to come.

A few moments passed by and to their absolute surprise they both felt a gentle embrace around them.

"I worry about you two sometimes…no…all the time. I'm just glad you're both well." Hinata breathed out a sigh of relief while holding her family close. "I'll let it slide this time, but please, don't be so reckless. Think about your poor mother as well."

"Hinata…thank you!" Naruto expressed her gratitude while hugging her back.

The Void princess right now experienced a blissful feeling that could not be expressed by words as she was wrapped in the embrace of both of her parents.

"Thank you mommy! I'll be a better girl for you." She replied sincerely this time.

The three of them broke up after a couple of seconds and Hinata looked at her daughter with her normal, caring eyes.

"As I said before, as long as you understand I'll overlook this incident, but you must promise to behave." She instructed her daughter before shifting her gaze over to her husband. "As for you Naruto-kun, I know you love her as a father but at the same time we as her parents have a responsibility of giving her a proper upbringing. At this rate she is turning out to be a much, MUCH more extreme version of your younger self, and I think we can both agree that such is not necessarily a good thing."

"You're right. I'll try to be more responsible as her father." Naruto nodded in agreement. "But thanks as always. Despite being more assertive ever since you became a mother, ultimately you're still the gentle and caring Hinata I fell in love with."

His sudden compliment made Hinata blush a dark shade of red. "W-What are you s-saying all of a sudden N-Naruto-kun?"

"Aww look at that. You're blushing and stuttering again, just like old times." Naruto teased her playfully. "That's definitely the Hinata I love alright. You really haven't changed inside after all."

Hinata in her desperation quickly hid her face by pressing it against Naruto's chest. She looked up at him after a few seconds and pouted. "You really haven't changed either, playing around with my feelings like that."

"I guess you're right. I'm a prankster at heart after all." Naruto couldn't help but laugh. "I think it's good that we haven't changed completely despite the fact that we've become parents as well as gaining many more responsibilities as clan leaders, which basically requires us to overlook the ninja training and strength of the individual clan members and their families."

"Speaking of our child and training, I take it you've been training her well over the past few weeks? I know I've been busy for a bit dealing with some of the village's official matters in relation to the Hokage, but it's about time I focused back on seeing the results of her training myself." Hinata now stood up and gave Naruto a rather inquisitive look. "So yes, I do hope you haven't just been playing around with her."

"Of course not!" Naruto quickly came to his own defence. "I've been training he-"

Naruto was about to finish his statement but at that moment he realised that his daughter had slipped away earlier during some point of their conversation and was now charging towards her mother from behind to use one of her new special "techniques".

"KONOHAGAKURE'S SECRET FINGER TECHNIQUE: ONE THOUSAND YEARS OF DEATH!" The void princess shouted at the top of her lungs as she rushed her mother with her index and middle fingers from both hands connected together, getting ready to poke her in the rear end.

But without effort Hinata sidestepped away, letting her daughter fall on to her father. Naruto was sweating bullets at this point and was too afraid to look Hinata in the eyes.

"Is this what you've been teaching her?" She inquired in a calm and cold tone.

"H-Hinata-sama…let us calm down and think about the positives of this technique for a second." He tried to come with an excuse for himself and his daughter but worried that it may not work any longer.

Thus as the morning continued for the long time couple, the present Naruto and Hinata were in awe of what they saw.

"When we met the Void princess the last time we visited and she said she was the child of two people called Naruto and Hinata, I was having troubles believing her. But this makes it seem like we're looking at slightly older versions of ourselves, even though these events took place a thousand years ago." The present Hinata explained to her on own surprise.

"Yeah, you're right. I was thinking the sam-" Naruto was halfway through his reply when he suddenly felt a sharp pain on his rear end and he was sent flying several metres forward into the air and landed face first on to the ground.

"SENNEN GOROSHI SUCCESS!" The older void princess of the present time shouted in joy. "Daddy would have been proud."

Hinats quickly ran over to Naruto and helped him get up. "A-Are you okay, Naruto-kun?"

"Ohhhhh my moneymaker….but y-yeah I'll live." Naruto rubbed his ass that was in pain right now and limped over to the perpetrator. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

"That's payback for telling me off the last time we met."

"YOU ALREADY BIT ME THE LAST TIME!" Naruto retaliated in rage.

"Oh yeah…you're right. Guess I forgot. Oh well." The Void princess stuck her tongue out just like her younger self.

Naruto was seething with anger right now but Hinata decided to step in to bring about some seriousness to the exchange.

"I know you told us this last time but your parents truly were named Naruto and Hinata." She addressed the princess. "Plus from what I saw the two of them were also leaders of the Uzumaki and Hyuga clans. That would mean the two clans were allied at their time before falling out at a later date."

"I told you so didn't I?" The child of Naruto and Hinata replied casually. "Did you not believe me?"

"Of course we didn't believe you. You were incredibly shady." Naruto replied just as casually, despite the inflammatory comment.

"Hey, that hurts my feelings you know! Want me to sennen goroshi your ass once agaim?" She glared at him as he glared back. There was once again contention brewing between the two.

But Hinata had more important matters in mind.

"Then what happened?" She asked, clearly concerned. "Why did the Uzumaki and Hyuga clans fall out against each other even though their leaders were once bound together as family? They even had a child who inherited both the Uzumaki and Hyuga's lineage."

It was at this point that the Void princess took on a much more serious tone. "If you wish to find out then keep watching the story of my parents unfold. You will find that the story of their past directly links on to the two of you at present. There is yet one more piece of the puzzle you have yet to discover, one that will eventually answer all of your questions. Therefore, keep watching and that last variable of the equation will present itself shortly."

Thus the couple focused back on the picture frame to continue on with the story from a thousand years ago.

The Naruto of the past was sitting at the dining table in the living room with his little girl on his lap and his chin resting on top of her head. Hinata was just across the room making breakfast in the kitchen area.

"Come ooooooooon mommy, I want breakfast already." She cried out while banging on the table.

"Now now, what did we talk about earlier? Patience and discipline. Breakfast will be ready soon."

"But I'm hungry too Hinata-chan. Can't you hurry up a bit?" Naruto asked ever so politely.

"Hmmm yeah I know it's taking me a bit long but I'm just waiting for him to get back with the eggs. We've run out, so I did tell him to grab some on his way back from training."

Naruto looked over at the clock to check the time. "Yeah, he should be returning about now. He's always on time, especially when assigned a task."

Almost on cue the front door to the house opened and a young boy with the same blonde hair as Naruto and the same white eyes as Hinata walked in with a small bag in hand. He was also 9 years old just like the Void princess.

"Haha-ue, Chichi-ue, Ane-ue, I have but returned from my brief excursion." He said in the most courteous of tones.

"BAKA OTOUTO!" His sister shouted back at him in the rudest of tones. "You realise we've been sitting here with no breakfast because mommy's been waiting for you to bring the eggs."

"Come on now, it's not like we've been waiting for too long. Plus you know what they say about cooking right, the longer you wait the better it is." Naruto reminded his daughter and came to his son's defence.

"My sincerest apologies! I did not realise that I had overstepped my time limit! I truly do beg for all of your forgiveness!" He apologised most humbly.

"It's fine son. There's nothing for you to be sorry about since you came back at the time we agreed upon. Your sister is just being restless as usual." Hinata replied casually as she took the eggs from her son and worked on the breakfast.

"You are but too kind dear mother. Kindness that I may not have warranted. As penitence for my tardiness please do allow me to lend a helping hand in preparing the breakfast." He requested.

"Very well. In that case would you mind beating the eggs for me?"

Instantly her son's face lit up in joy. He rushed to grab a chair, placing it next to the countertop and got up on top of it to help his mother make breakfast.

"See how helpful your brother is?" Hinata directed the question to her daughter. "He's actually assisting me in making breakfast as opposed to sitting on his father's lap and complaining. There's a lot you could learn from him."

The Void princess pouted as she was visibly upset. "He's still an idiot, stupid and good-for-nothing little brother for making me wait."

"You know, why do you call him "little brother"?" Naruto asked in a somewhat confused tone. "The two of you are twins. You're the same age, born on the same day."

"I don't care. He's my stupid little brother. That's all I know." She remained stubborn in her assertion.

Naruto was going to argue his case, but his son intervened, albeit in a very amiable manner.

"I wish not to incite disrespect honourable father, but in light of all technicalities that need be considered, she is my elder sister even if it is by a matter of ten minutes. Would I be correct in making such a definitive claim, knowledgeable mother?"

Hinata thought for a bit and came to an agreement. "I guess if you did think about it technically then you were indeed born ten minutes after your sister. So that would make you the younger of the two, even if by ten minutes as you just said."

"I am truly grateful for your insight, Haha-ue. The wisdom you've bestowed upon me is as always like a pearl of knowledge." He complimented his mother before turning to his father. "It would appear I was correct in his instance. However, you are still nonetheless wiser, Chichi-ue."

Naruto didn't mind being corrected on the technicalities, but the way his son addressed him irked him a bit. "You always refer to me so formally. I don't know if I'll ever get used to that. Can't you just call me daddy like your sister?"

"But you are my honourable father. To address you in any other manner would be a gross misconduct." His son answered rather seriously.

"Hinata, are you the one who's been teaching him all these crazy honorifics? He's like a much more out of control version of you in terms of being polite."

"Maybe, but you're one to talk given how wild our daughter has turned out. I don't see what the issue is with our son being respectful. That is the type of person he is, someone who is strong yet kind. There's nothing wrong with being courteous now is there?"

"I suppose not…" Naruto admitted in defeat given that his wife had a good point. His son at all times honoured him greatly, something that every parent wanted from their child. In fact he was almost like the ideal son.

In the end Naruto and Hinata's family simply balanced thus – the son took after the mother while the daughter took after the father. However in both cases the children were more extreme versions of their parents. Above all, their family would go on to shape history itself.

* * *

Needless to say, these two children are not Boruto and Himawari. Those two are linked in a way though as you'll see later.

That being said, here's an interesting question I'll leave you all with. Although Naruto and Hinata's son may seem like a new addition to the story, in reality he has already made an appearance in one of the earlier chapters. Can you take a guess at who he is?

It will be very interesting to see how many of you already know. I hope you liked the start to the new arc. As I said within the chapter, the story of the old Naruto and Hinata will link into the story of the new Naruto and Hinata as you'll see going forward. I should clarify that these two couples are different people. There's nothing special going in that regard. They just happen to look and act alike, have the same names and whose stories become linked over time.

That is all for today. Other than that let me know your thoughts and be well until next time :)


	33. The Family That Wrote History Part 2

**The Family That Wrote History Part 2**

* * *

**Tale of The Consortium (1000 years ago)**

The past Naruto and Hinata were in their backyard with their two children. Well, backyard would be a rather loose term to describe the place since it was more akin to a pretty large field, a part of which was used as a greenhouse for growing exotic plants, another part an area for training and finally one for relaxation. They were currently in the training area.

Hinata and her daughter were at the centre getting ready for some kind of a bout while Naruto and his son were standing at the side looking onwards.

"Is that hand of yours getting any better?" Naruto asked his 9-year son after having taken a quick glance at his left hand which was completely wrapped up in white tape, leaving not even a sliver of skin to be seen. "Or perhaps I should ask how well that technique of yours has been coming along. You've been pretty dedicated to creating your first original technique. I think that's pretty big an undertaking for someone your age, but at the same time it makes me proud as a father. I guess what I'm trying to say is that don't give up."

While most parents probably would chastise their children for overdoing an act and hurting themselves in the process, Naruto was different. He understood the drive of his son in wanting to better himself as a ninja, even if it came with some negatives. As such he showed his support at most times as long as his children weren't going into the extremes. This support made his son very happy to say the least.

"Your words are truly inspiring, Chichi-ue. I could not explain the sense of gratitude I feel right now even if I so chose. Sincerely, I am thankful for your appreciation and understanding. And verily am I undeserving of that which I receive." He replied ever so earnestly.

Naruto was a bit taken aback by his son's emotional admission and could only pat his head gently in response. "I am your father after all. It's my job to keep believing in you. That's what parents do best."

While Naruto and his son were talking, Hinata and her daughter were now prepared to start their skirmish.

"As I've said before, I know you're still rather young and not every Hyuga gets to master this technique, but as the offspring of the clan leader, as my child I hope for nothing short of greatness. That is why I want you to learn the Hyuga's 64 palms as soon as possible. I know it isn't easy but at the same time I believe you can accomplish this task." Hinata explained to her daughter, to which she nodded diligently for once and took the stance for the gentle fist art. "Very well then, show me the progress you've made since last time."

"This should be interesting." Naruto said to his son.

"So it shall." The boy replied, believing in his sister's strength. A little bird had nestled itself within his blonde hair to watch the show as well. For whatever reason, he was very attuned to nature.

"I think your mother may be in for a little surprise." Naruto added with a smile on his face.

Before his son could get the opportunity to ask what he meant, the bout between his mother and sister initiated.

"BEGIN!" Hinata shouted and instantly the Void princess dashed towards her to initiate her technique.

"2 PALMS!" She yelled while directing the first two blows at two of her mother's pressure points, but Hinata brushed her hands away with gentle flicks of her own fingers.

"4 PALMS!" The Void princess continued on with two more hits but with the same outcome as before.

"8 PALMS!" The hit counts doubled as Hinata remained on the defensive, blocking all of her child's hits with ease as they weren't particularly fast.

Despite this the Void princess did not relent until she reached the halfway point, having thrown 32 hits at her mother, at which point her legs almost gave out and she was about to lose her stance. 32 strikes had been her limit for a rather long time and it would appear that despite her training this was still her limit.

"I suppose this is as far as you can reach…for now only…I hope." Hinata whispered to herself, feeling a little disappointed, for she believed her children could surpass all expectations.

The Void princess herself could not help but feel disappointed as well that this was all she could achieve. However, all of a sudden she heard an all too familiar voice giving her hope.

"REMEMBER WHAT I TOLD YOU – YOUR DOUBTS ARE YOUR ONLY OBSTACLE! NOW SHATTER THEM AND MOVE FORWARD WITHOUT HESITATION!" Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs to his daughter, giving her encouragement and making her remember the training the two of them had done together.

Thus without hesitation she regained her stance and reinitiated her technique from where she left off seconds ago. The hits now picked up pace and packed much more punch, making Hinata have to put far more effort into blocking them. With an amazing burst of strength and finesse, the Void princess finished all 64 hits of the Hyuga's signature technique before collapsing down to her knees.

There was a moment of silence. Hinata couldn't believe what had just happened. Not even the Void princess could believe what had happened either. But realisation soon struck them both.

"You did it…you completed all 64 hits." Hinata said to her child with a heartfelt smile. "I'm truly proud!"

Her daughter smiled back at her with a victory sign before turning around and making a mad dash towards her father, jumping towards him and engulfing him in a massive hug. "I DID IT DADDY!"

"What did I say? I told you that you could do it. THAT WAS AWESOME!" He complimented while embracing her back in joy.

"Last time I checked she was still stuck at the 32 palms, so it would seem that you trained her to learn the 64 palms even though it is a Hyuga technique." Hinata said while walking up to her husband.

Naruto rubbed his head innocently. "Well, I may not have the Byakugan but I've been with you long enough to be able to give our child some guidance in learning one of your signature techniques."

"That's part of being a couple for so long I suppose." Hinata added. "This makes me feel old, even though we're still pretty young. Well, at least being young parents means we can still train and play with our children. I think that's a blessing in its own pay."

"You're right." Naruto agreed as he dropped his daughter on to the ground. "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Through hard work and determination you have surpassed your previous limitations. That was truly a sight to behold, Ane-ue." Naruto and Hinata's son sincerely complimented his sister. At the same time the little bird on his head flew away.

"Heh-he! Watch me Otouto and you will definitely learn something." The Void princess replied while puffing up her chest, feeling proud of her accomplishment.

Hinata now switched her attention over to her son. "I think it's time we focused on you as well. I know you're rather autonomous in terms of your training, but as your mother it's important I keep an eye out on you."

"It would be an honour as always, exalted mother." The young boy nodded diligently as he took off the blue scarf he was wearing that his mother had handmade for him, handing it to his father. "Would you be so kind as to hold on to this? I cannot allow an article of clothing of such important origin to become sullied."

"Sure, no problem." Naruto took the long blue scarf for safe keeping.

Hinata and her son now stood face to face in the middle of the training grounds, ready to begin their bout just like it was the case with the other sibling not too long ago. But the young boy had something in mind.

"Haha-ue, I wish not to overstep my authority by any means, however, I have but a genuine request." He addressed his mother rather seriously.

"Of course. Anything for you as long as it is within my bounds."

"I wish for you to fight me seriously. Please do not hold back while thinking of my wellbeing as your son. Impose upon me your strength, as it is only when I am pushed to the very limit can I break the status quo. This is my earnest request, for I shall do the same and demonstrate to you the level that which I have achieved thus far in return."

Hinata could see the intensity on her son's eyes and she knew his capabilities better than anyone else. She believed that he would be a worthy opponent and so gave one simple reply while taking the stance for the 64 palms. "Very well then, I shall humour this request of yours."

"You have my gratitude, as always." Her son replied happily as he himself took the stance to use the same technique. However, his stance was somewhat different as he was only going to be using one hand to connect all the hits given that his bandaged left hand was not in any shape to be used for any kind of serious hand to hand combat.

"What's the matter son? Your stance is off. Your left hand is not in place." Hinata advised him gently.

"I apologise, but I'll only be using one hand. I ask of you to have faith in my ability."

Hinata already knew that her son was beyond any child she had ever known. Above all she understood very well his resolve. As such she prepared herself for the clash as did her son, both of them sharing a silent understanding that needn't be spoken.

"Did I get that wrong or did your brother just ask his mother to go serious on him while he's only fighting one handed?" Naruto questioned his daughter in a surprised tone.

"Yeah…he's about to get his ass whooped." She gave a stunned yet simple reply.

At the same time, both mother and son dashed towards each other to initiate the Hyuga's signature 64 palms technique. Unlike before, this time both sides were in the offensive and precision finger strikes collided with one another as mother and son used their Byakugan to read each other's movements in great details. It was a fierce close quarter hand to hand combat in which both combatants matched each other blow for blow. Hinata unleashed a barrage of hits with great finesse and strength, but despite her son using only one hand, he countered back with powerful strikes of his own at blistering speed. The two put on an amazing display of what the Hyuga's gentle fist could look like when wielded by users at a truly expert level, and before long both sides completed all 64 hits and jumped back a few steps.

But, it wasn't over.

"I have not yet reached my limit. We can take this further beyond!" The 9 year old Hyuga exclaimed as he rushed towards his mother once more. "128 PALMS!"

"WHAT?! I knew he could use 64 palms with ease but when did he manage to double that? I can't believe this!" Naruto was now truly in shock and his daughter was lost for words.

Hinata was the one who taught her son the 64 palms and she was incredibly proud as a mother to know that her son was the youngest Hyuga to be able to master one of the clan's greatest techniques. But even she was surprised at his current proclamation. Regardless, she instantly got back into the fray and once again matched her son's blows with ferocious tenacity. The two collided with even greater vigour this time, holding nothing back until all 128 strikes were complete and they were pushed back from the recoil of the final blow.

However, once again her son refused to end it there.

"It is not yet over." He stated with the utmost determination, getting ready to rush towards his mother once again, but a sharp pain shot through his bandaged left arm that brought him down to his knees, effectively ending his technique. "GAAAAH! I thought better, but I suppose this really is my limit…for now."

All of his family members rushed to him at once after hearing his cry of pain.

"A-Are you okay? I didn't overdo it now, did I?" Hinata asked him with a great amount of worry as she gently held his injured arm on her own.

"Not at all, dear mother. It is but my fault for not understanding the condition of my own body. I apologise for any disappointment I may have caused." He replied with a sad expression on his face.

"Disappointment? Are you kidding me?" Naruto asked back, bewildered by his statement. "You just performed a technique most Hyuga can't even learn in their entire lifetimes. And you're only 9 years old. You've done anything but cause disappointment. Not to mention, to be able to match your mother blow for blow is a feat in and of itself. That was an amazing fight!"

"Your father is absolutely right." Hinata wholeheartedly agreed. "I couldn't be prouder as a Hyuga, and even more so as a mother. That being said I am worried about the condition of your arm. You told me it was a minor injury you suffered while training so I didn't focus too much on it, but I must take a look at it to ensure matters don't get out of hand."

Thus Hinata unwound the bandages around her son's arm only to find the skin to be hideously damaged. It was so bad in fact that their daughter had to look away and both parents were in shock of how it reached this terrible state so suddenly.

"W-What have you done? Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?" Hinata was almost lost for words at first but soon became a little upset. "How could you be this careless? I thought better of you!"

Her son was already in pain but to see his mother being troubled by him was a far greater source of suffering.

"I-I-I…have let you down. There are no words to be said in my defence. I'm deserving of nothing but the harshest of penalties that you deem worthy." He replied, looking almost broken.

Hinata was about to answer but Naruto gently placed a hand on her shoulder to intervene.

"I know you're angry because you're worried about him, but he's sorry for what he's done. Just look at him." Naruto came to his son's defence. "Not to mention, even though he takes after you a lot, he's still my son deep down, so a little bit of recklessness is a given. He's an Uzumaki after all. So go a little easy on him."

Their son felt a little relieved that his father was being supportive, but he still awaited his mother's judgement with a heavy heart. Hinata sighed and to her son's absolute surprise engulfed him in a hug.

"Do you really think I'm so cold-hearted as to punish you when you're already so remorseful?" She asked ever so generously. "As I've said before it's okay to make mistakes, as long as you're willing to rectify them. It's just that I worry so much already about your father and sister. You know how reckless they can be. But I have you of course, my beloved son who understands me and brings me great solace. That's why I can't have you going out and getting hurt like this, because seeing you in pain hurts me as well. Remember that next time."

His mother's heartfelt words pushed him almost to the verge of tears of relief and remorse. "I cannot ever repay your kindness. I will not ever be able to. I truly won't…"

"You don't have to." Hinata replied with a smile. "Because it's my job as your mother to unconditionally love you forever."

Naruto felt happy as well, but a related matter came to his mind that he wished to ask his son about. "You hurt your hand while training for that new technique right? You said you'd let us know once you completed it, but you've been working on it for a long time now. Mind telling us now what you've been working on that could injure you so badly? I really would like to know to at least make sure it's not too dangerous."

"If it's my new technique you speak of then I've already mastered it." His son replied with great enthusiasm. "The last push to complete it is what resulted in the injury. However, I can now show it to you all."

"On wow that's amazing! To think my son has created his own original technique, I can't wait to see it. In fact I want you to use it on me so that I can witness it first hand."

His son was taken aback by the request. "Venerated father, I could not do such a thing. I would not wish to inflict harm upon you."

"Hey now, remember who you're speaking to. I'm the Uzumaki clan leader and not to tout my own horn or anything, one of the strongest shinobi you'll probably ever find. So I don't think you need to be worried about me. Plus what kind of father would I be if I couldn't take a hit from my son? Give me what you got."

Hearing his father's coaxing and not wanting to go against his wishes, the boy nodded reluctantly. He brought his left hand up in front of him and held his right hand over it, creating a spherical shape with his two hands. He focused every ounce of concentration he could muster and within moments, streams of blue energy started to gather in the space between his hands until eventually a blue spiralling sphere of tremendous force formed within. The display mesmerised all the spectators as they had seen nothing quite like this ever before.

"This is a technique created when the Uzumaki's uncontained power is given shape using the Hyuga's unparalleled control." He explained while preparing to charge forward with the jutsu at hand. "Accept it, CHICHI-UE!"

Naruto held his ground as his son closed the distance between them and pushed the blue sphere on to his midsection. Naruto didn't expect what came next however. Although the technique looked calm and contained like most of the Hyuga clan's techniques, it also had the overwhelming force that was expected from the Uzumaki clan's techniques. In just a matter of seconds Naruto was sent careening backwards by the sheer power of the sphere and went straight through the backdoor of their house, crashing into the now plethora of broken furniture.

Not even his son had quite expected the power of the technique to be so strong as to be able to overcome his father's defences, but he along with the rest of the family quickly rushed to Naruto's side.

"N-NARUTO-KUN, ARE YOU OKAY?" Hinata kneeled next to him and raised his head to check if he was okay. She had never seen Naruto, the Uzumaki clan leader, sprawled out on the floor in this manner. He was after all the strongest shinobi she knew.

"I'm sorry, Chichi-ue!" His son apologised while also kneeling beside him.

Naruto saw stars for a few moments as the skin on his abdomen was damaged just as badly as his son's hand. He knew very well now how his son managed to hurt himself. But he quickly sat up and was ecstatic after the previous display of power.

"THAT WAS AMAZING!" He shouted to his son. "That is a sick technique! Wow…just wow. You need to teach me this. In fact the whole Uzumaki clan should learn it if possible. But before that, have you given it a name?"

"No…I haven't quite thought about giving it a name, but perhaps you could help me. I'm not particularly good in that regard."

Naruto fell into deep thought for a few moments before a brilliant idea came to him. "I KNOW! It's quite simple really when you think about it. The jutsu itself looks like a spiralling sphere. Therefore I think it should be called – RASENGAN!"

"Rasengan…" His son whispered in awe at the name that which almost exuded a sense of power in and of itself. His mind was already set. "That is but a truly fitting name. So this technique should indeed be called the Rasengan!"

Thus the Rasengan was born, a technique passed on through the generations to the current day a 1000 years later, and even to the present Naruto and Hinata.

Thus the picture within the frame disappeared once more.

"Did I just witness the birth of the Rasengan?" The present Naruto asked in awe.

"So you did indeed." The Void princess replied. "It was my brother who created it after all and it has been passed on through the Uzumaki clan ever since."

"Your brother was a true prodigy from what we saw." Hinata added given the feats the boy achieved just at that young age.

The Void princess smirked in response. "To call my brother a prodigy would be doing him a disservice. He was someone truly special, so much so that you may have known him beforehand already."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked rather curiously.

"My brother, he was the very first person to ever become a sage and as such became known as the "True Sage". Furthermore, due to his feats the Uzumaki clan called him a hero while the Hyuga clan described him as the traitor. Perhaps you've heard of the story of the hero and the traitor. They are both the same person."

It was at that point Naruto and Hinata realised exactly who this person was.

"IT WAS HIM!" They both exclaimed in unison.

"He was the ancestor that spoke to us through those messages." Naruto came to a quick conclusion.

The Void princess however was surprised to hear this information. "What do you mean he spoke to you? He died a long time ago."

"We don't know the exact details, but someone who referred to themselves as our ancestor left us some messages before his death warning of some kind of great evil the two of us would have to face by combining our powers." Hinata explained. "At first we had no clue who he was but now it's pretty clear he was your brother, the one known as the hero and the traitor."

The Void princess looked visibly distressed.

"_So even in death, even after a thousand years, he still somehow works against me. I guess I shouldn't have expected any less from the little brother."_ She thought to herself.

"What's the matter?" Naruto asked. "You look troubled."

The Void princess now took on a rather unusually serious tone. "You do not yet understand everything. Heed my advice. Be wary of what he speaks. It is for your own g-"

Before she could finish her statement, the Void princess felt something she had almost never felt before.

"This should not be possible. No one should be able to enter this world without my authorization. BUT SOMEONE HAS FOLLOWED YOU IN!" She yelled at the two. "Our conversation will have to stop here for the time being. For now let us confront the intruder who dares step foot in my home uninvited!"

Thus the three rushed outside of the mansion to confront the newcomer.

* * *

Who could have managed to follow Naruto &amp; Hinata on to this world? I guess I'll leave it at that for next time.

**Trainer1232:** That's actually quite an interesting idea. Maybe I'll turn it into a plot point lol. I kid but the fox will indeed come in later on. As for Naruto &amp; Hinata's son, he's the ancestor that spoke to Hinata from one of the earlier chapters.

Anyway, that is all for now. As always let me know what you thought and I'll be back next time with more when we finally get to Konoha...I think.


	34. The Hidden Leaf Village Part 1

**The Hidden Leaf Village Part 1**

Wow, it has been a bit since I last updated. Life got a bit hectic and I was sick like a dog for the past week, so the chapter was half complete for a while. But in any case, here's the update. So let's get on with the story :)

* * *

Naruto, Hinata and the Void princess rushed outside of the mansion and looked around for the intruder, only to find no one.

"Where's the person that broke in?" Naruto asked their host.

The Void princess closed her eyes and focused her senses in order to locate the intruder, but there was no one to be found.

"Hmmm…I don't sense anyone anymore." She commented while still continuing her search. "It would appear that whoever tried to follow you here got lost within the pathway that connects the two worlds and could not quite make the jump between dimensions."

"Is that so? I guess I never thought about it since I used your powers to get here, but we are travelling between two worlds. It must be pretty complicated to do." Naruto commented rather curiously. "But who could it be that tried to follow us in here?

The Void princess was now deep in thought. _"There is only one other way in which someone could travel between dimensions besides using my powers of the dark or my eyes. That alternative is by using the dimension bending capabilities of the Mangekyou Sharingan."_

She looked over to Naruto and Hinata, speculating on the possibilities. _"The Uchiha may have someone tracking the two of them, but for that person to have the Mangekyou Sharingan seems unbelievable, given how rare those eyes are amongst the Uchiha. The only other individual who could travel between the two worlds…perhaps…Nine? I must investigate!"_

"You look lost in thought. Got any ideas of who it could be?" Naruto asked once more.

"Ah…oh…I'm not sure. I need to think about this." She replied, not sharing the possibilities with them yet.

"Ano…I have a question. Actually, I have a lot of questions but this one is important." Hinata was about to ask her something but at that moment the Void princess' body started to flicker out of existence just like last time.

"Darn it! It seems I've reached my time limit. Unfortunately your question will have to wait until next time." She replied in a hurry. "So, where were the two of you headed?"

"Konoha." The couple answered in unison.

"Konoha…I see….interesting. Alright in that case I'll teleport you back close to the village. Sorry we couldn't talk for longer but there is always next time." With that statement, the couple was hastily teleported back to their world as the Void princess herself disappeared.

Naruto and Hinata dropped right in front of the giant gates to Konoha. It was very late at night and not a single person could be seen around the entrance to the village. The journey turned out to be much longer than expected due to the detours, but they were finally here.

"That was a bit weird how we got teleported out so suddenly, or her disappearance for that matter." Hinata commented on the situation.

"You're right. There's too much we still don't know about her. In any case, for now we did arrive right in front of our destination. Let's head in."

The couple walked in through the doors only to be met by the two guards, Izumo and Kotetsu at the counter.

"Naruto, is that you?" Izumo asked with a look of surprise. "Wow, you've really changed over the last decade."

"And you guys look just the same. Still guarding these doors I see."

"You make it sound like this job is uneventful…which I guess it is." Kotetsu sighed. "But in any case, did something happen during your journey? We were expecting you yesterday evening, yet you're a day late."

"Wait what?" Naruto was confused at this point, so he took out his phone and touched the screen only to find the date to be as normal even though the clock behind the guards showed a different time and an extra day had passed.

"Naruto-kun, listen…" Hinata gently pulled Naruto's head towards her and whispered into his ears only for him to hear. "Remember what the Void princess said. Time passes much more slowly on that other world compared to ours. I think during the short period we were there, an entire day must have elapsed in this world. That's why there is a time discrepancy. It would probably be best if we just played along and said we took a detour to not make this any more complicated."

Naruto nodded in agreement and now looked at the guards to address them. "Yeah well we ended up taking a little detour while getting here. I was a bit surprised at how quickly time flies by when you're with someone you love!"

Hinata instantly blushed at the comment. She didn't quite expect him to say something like that.

Izumo grimaced. "All these young couples and their love stories. Do have some pity on us singles out there."

"I'm still quite impressed to see that a Hyuga and an Uzumaki actually get married, let alone the children of the clan leaders. Given the near endless struggle between the clans I am impressed the two of you get along so well."

"Well, as they say, a peaceful solution is the best solution. Plus we're now working together to help out Konoha. So here's to the future." Naruto replied as he extended his hand to the two.

"We look forward to working with you as well." The two guards replied while shaking his hand.

"So, do you guys know anything about where we are staying?" Naruto questioned.

Izumo nodded his head in response.

"Yes, Sarutobi-sama asked us to give him a call when you arrived. Give me a second." He pulled out a very old looking rotary dial phone from under his desk and started to rotate the dial and got on the call with the current leader of the village.

Both Naruto and Hinata were taken aback by the technology.

"Do people still use those phones?" Naruto whispered to his wife. "I've never seen one being used before."

"I've seen them in museums, but not actually being used though." She replied as she showed Naruto her phone and tapped the screen to activate it. "Look at the reception. I have had no signal since we arrived."

Naruto checked his own phone and there was no reception either. "You're right. There's no signal. What the heck?"

At that moment Izumo handed the receiver of the phone to the Uzumaki's heir. "Sarutobi-sama wishes to speak with you."

Naruto nodded and held the phone to his ear. "Hello, old man? Where the frig are you?"

Hiruzen laughed audibly on the other end. "You haven't changed in all this time at all, have you Naruto? It's great to talk to you again."

"I bet your old ass hasn't changed a bit either!"

"I suppose you're right. I'm not getting any younger, that's for sure." Hiruzen replied. "In any case, I was there yesterday to meet the two of you at the expected time of arrival, but you two didn't show up. I was getting a bit worried but I'm glad you've arrived safely. Were there any issues?"

"Oh no it's fine. I haven't been to the Land of Fire in a long time even though I used to visit so often as a kid with my dad. So me and Hinata took a detour."

"Ah yes it must be nice to be so young and in love huh?" Hiruzen joked, leaving Naruto in a bit of a tough spot. "In any case I'd like to meet you soon but I'm sure the two of you are tired after your long journey, so I've asked Izumo and Kotetsu to escort you to your new house. It's ready. So rest up for tonight and join me for breakfast first thing tomorrow morning at my house. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good. In that case I'll see you tomorrow then."

"I look forward to seeing you then as well." Hiruzen replied and with that the call ended.

"Alright, I'll take you to your new place." Izumo addressed the couple. "While I do that, Kotetsu will bring over dinner from a restaurant."

"Is it okay for you guys to both leave your guard posts?" Naruto asked somewhat curiously.

"It's pretty late now, so our shift is over." Kotetsu explained. "I'll see you guys in a bit."

Thus the other three departed towards Naruto and Hinata's new house. They dashed through the rooftops and very soon reached the outskirts of the village. They had gone the opposite way to the business distract of Konoha, reaching an area that was uninhabited.

"What is this place? Doesn't seem like very many people live here." Naruto commented, given lack of people on the road. Even though it was late, it felt a bit too empty.

"No one lives in this part of the village any more. From the stories I've heard, this district of the village used to once belong to some very powerful clans during Konoha's golden age. Those clans however left the village a long time ago and ever since then this area has been left mostly untouched as we didn't have the resources or manpower to use it. We're not exactly financially well off, neither is Konoha anything in size or population compared to other major ninja villages like Uzushiogakure or Kirigakure."

"I see, that is interesting." Hinata commented as she looked around at the dim moonlit streets with vast open expanses alongside it that could be used as training grounds.

Eventually after a bit more walking, the three reached a nice looking duplex house. It wasn't anything ridiculous in terms of size when compared to the clan houses of the Uzumaki and Hyuga, but this place looked like it would be perfect for a small family.

Both Naruto and Hinata couldn't help but feel excited as they followed Izumo to the door. The guard took out the keys and opened the it. "After you. This will be your new place after all."

The couple walked in and to their absolute shock this place was already familiar to them. They looked around to find a living room with a kitchen area attached. The backyard was absolutely massive. They rushed upstairs to find three bedrooms with their individual toilets attached. As they came back downstairs they couldn't believe what they were seeing. This looked almost like the exact same house as the one in the memory they just saw in the Void world, the house of the Void princess and her parents – the Naruto and Hinata from a thousand years ago. Was it all a coincidence? It was hard to believe.

"So, what do you guys think?" Izumo asked the couple. "It's was pretty old place that apparently belonged to a family a long time ago, but it has since been unoccupied. It used to be a broken down mess, but we refurbished it for the two of you upon the Kazekage's request. I know this is a bit towards the outside of the village, but the area is pretty nice, which you get to have all to yourselves."

"Yes, this is a very great place." Hinata replied genuinely. After the initial shock had worn off, she could appreciate the warmth coming from the place. She could definitely see this as her and Naruto's new house, one that belonged to them alone. It made her feel a great sense of joy.

"I think so too." Naruto agreed while looking around. "I think this is a really nice place as well. Thanks for preparing it for us!"

"No problem." Izumo replied. "Sorry for no furniture though, but I'm sure you two would probably prefer picking out your own anyway, which you can do tomorrow."

"Yeah, that's cool." Naruto nodded as he looked over to his wife. "I'll be counting on you to find the best stuff."

Hinata was pumped. "I'm looking forward to it. Let's both do our best!"

At the same time the doorbell rang and upon opening Kotetsu came in with dinner at hand.

"Sorry it took me a while. All the places had already closed, so this was the only thing I could find. I'm sorry about this." He said while opening up the bag only to reveal several bowls of ramen.

"Are you kidding me? You got them ramen for dinner?" Izumo was annoyed.

"But all the other shops are closed at this time. Ichiraku is the only one that was open, so I thought better ramen than nothing."

Naruto however grabbed Kotetsu with glimmering eyes as he confessed, "I LOVE YOU!"

Kotetsu backed up several steps in fear of the overenthusiasm. "I-Is it r-really okay for you to be s-saying such things in front of y-your wife? That's messed up."

Hinata couldn't help but giggle. "It's fine Kotetsu-san. Naruto-kun has an unbridled love for ramen. Thank you for bringing him the best possible dinner he could have asked for."

"I-Is that so? Well then I'm glad." Kotetsu rubbed his read while feeling silly.

"In that case I suppose we'll leave you two to have your dinner in peace and get some rest. We'll see you tomorrow." Izumo replied and with some farewells shared, the two guards left.

At this point Naruto was licking at his chops to taste the ramen just from the amazing smell. Thus the couple sat down on the ground with their dinner in front of them.

"Alright, let's dig in!" Naruto exclaimed in joy as he took one slurp of the ramen and was sent straight into the heavens above. "OH GOD IT'S SO GOOD! THIS IS THE BEST RAMEN I'VE EVER HAD!"

Hinata took a slurp as well and she herself was overwhelmed by the amazing flavours and texture. It truly was the best ramen she ever had. It just left you wanting more.

"We need to go check this store out for ourselves. This is crazy good!" Naruto barely managed to talk as he gobbled down ramen like a mad man.

"Now Naruto-kun, you remember what your mother said right? Not too much ramen." Hinata reminded Naruto, leading to a saddened expression on his face. "But we should definitely go check out Ichikaru's tomorrow. It really is amazing!"

Naruto now smiled in joy. Hinata was after all in many ways more sympathetic than his mother.

The two finished up dinner while having small talk as usual.

"How about you go take a shower and I clean up in the mean time?" Hinata suggested.

"Sounds like a good idea." Naruto agreed and the two went their separate ways – Hinata towards the kitchen and Naruto upstairs to the bathroom attached to the master bedroom, the one in which the two of them would be staying from now on.

Once Naruto finished taking his shower Hinata switched with him as he now laid out the two futons on the ground for them to sleep in for the night. There was no furniture in the house yet and their belongings would arrive from their respective homes shortly. For now all they brought were their night dresses as a change of clothing. After taking their showers, both of them tugged into their respective futons to call it a night given the long day.

They were trying to get to sleep but something felt a bit off. After 15 minutes or so of constant flipping around, their eyes met as they were now facing each other.

"What's the matter Naruto-kun? Can't fall asleep?" She asked curiously.

"Y-Yeah…" Naruto felt a little shy as he thought of the reason why, but came to the quick realisation that there was no reason to feel reserved about sharing it. She was his wife after all. "I think over the past few weeks I've gotten used to having you next to me while I sleep. It's a little silly given how long I've been sleeping by myself but it's nice to have someone next to you. Sorry if I woke you up."

"Oh no not at all!" Hinata quickly came to his defence and blushed lightly at his honest assertion. "Actually I was having the same issue. I think I've also gotten used to feeling your warmth while I sleep. So I couldn't quite fall asleep myself."

Both Naruto and Hinata couldn't help but giggle at how similarly they felt. It was a small matter but at the same time it meant a lot to them both.

"What do you say, want to share a futon?" Naruto asked her while shifting his body to the edge and lifting up the blanket, revealing some space for Hinata.

It didn't take long before Hinata tugged herself into the same pillow and futon as Naruto even though it was meant for one person. There was no longer even an inch of separation between them. It was cramped and they could have joined their two futons together to make for more space, but they preferred their current unseparated proximity.

"Much better…" Hinata commented while hugging Naruto tightly.

"Although you can be quite rough in your handling of me while you sleep, I think I've gotten used to it." Naruto commented on Hinata's habit of using him as a full on body pillow during her sleep.

Even though she knew about it by now, Hinata couldn't help but feel a little ashamed by her unconscious actions. "A-Am I really that b-bad? I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about." Naruto now came to her defence. "As I mentioned, I've gotten used to it. Not to mention, I think I've grown to like it, not being able to sleep as well without your embrace."

His words brought a smile to her ace, making her feel happy inside. "In that case I'll be sure to always keep you within my grasp."

"Sure." Naruto gave a simple reply as the two of them closed their eyes and fell asleep shortly afterwards given the long day's tiresome journey.

Unbeknownst to the two of them however, they were being tracked. Far away in the open field in their new backyard, an orange fox stood observing them, its eyes glowing and a complex pattern forming on them. Soon two figures materialised on both sides of the fox, one a man of Uzumaki descent, another a woman of Hyuga descent. They turned their heads to look at the fox standing between them.

"NINE!" Both of them exclaimed in unison.

"Boruto…Himawari…your roles draw nearer once more." The fox, named Nine, said to the two.

"The Great Nine – the one who could singlehandedly end wars, the one whose favors the great nations once sought, why are you doing all this?" Boruto asked the fox.

"The Great Nine – the bringer of hope and calamity alike, why do you care so much for the two of them?" Himawari asked the fox in relation to Naruto and Hinata.

"Nine has been tracking the Uzumaki and Hyuga clans from the days of old. Nine understands that which you do not." The fox explained to the two. "Appreciate this, that those two are the key to the future. They will bring about a great change, and Nine will remain an instigator behind that great change by all means necessary."

"You speak just like the old man." Boruto grimaced while thinking about his father who also believed that two of his descendants would one day bring about a great change.

"But why do you involve the two of us in all of this?" Himawari directed the question at Nine.

"Because the two of you destroyed the past. Now Nine will use whatever remains of that broken past to salvage the future. A future predicated by Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Hinata." The fox explained with a grin on its face and its special eyes glimmering as he looked over at Boruto and Himawari. "You should be honoured, yes? They are your descendants after all."

The siblings glanced at each other and did not have much to say at this point. They were after all just figments of a broken past.

"If you are still able to enquire so much about Nine's actions, then Nine's powers are certainly in full effect. Let us take our leave for now. The time of our confrontation with Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Hinata draws ever closer."

Thus the fox, along with Boruto and Himawari left the area and disappeared within the hidden leaf forest.

* * *

Nine will play a very big part in the story as you'll see shortly. He isn't your average fox though, that's for sure, at least from the way he talks. I always kind of wanted to make a character who speaks in 3rd person. I hope others find it as amusing as I do haha!

I do wonder if anyone has pinpointed Boruto and Himawari's father yet. We're getting there, what with the focus on the past and all that. It'd be interesting to know if I've given it away yet or if its still a mystery.

In any case, I hope you liked the chapter. Next time we'll get into Naruto and Hinata's new life in Konoha. It should be fun. Hope to see you then :)


	35. The Hidden Leaf Village Part 2

**The Hidden Leaf Village Part 2**

* * *

The next morning…

Naruto woke up to the intense light that shone down on his face through the curtainless windows. Never before had he appreciated the importance of curtains in his life and the difference they could make. The light made it very difficult for him to go back to sleep. However, when he tried to flip his body around the other way to escape the said light, that task turned out to even tougher given Hinata's tight grasp. This was nothing new to him, not anymore at least. By the end of the night Hinata would always be using him as a body pillow, wrapping her hands and legs around him almost like an octopus. Escaping her hold was ill advised as any sign of struggling would only result in the grip intensifying, almost like one of those predator-prey situations often shown in documentaries. As such Naruto gave up trying a while back. However, as strong as Hinata's hold could be, her body was equally soft and blissful. Thus he did not mind the situation one bit as it was arguably one of the best ways to wake up in the morning.

Naruto opened his eyes only to find Hinata's face inches away from his. She seemed to be muttering something in her sleep, also nothing uncommon.

"Naruto-kun…not…there." She whispered almost inaudibly.

Naruto understood instantly that she was currently dreaming and he was involved in it somehow. But he wondered in what way. He was curious.

"Ahhh no…you can't touch me there." She moaned a little bit loader this time.

Naruto realised he had inadvertently placed his hand on her waist and he instantly yanked it back in response. His heart was beating strongly after seeing Hinata's facial expression change to an anxious one in her sleep.

"Y-You want me to...take that position?" She asked with an expression of disbelief on her face. "I c-can't. That's too embarrassing."

Naruto gulped incredibly hard wondering what kind of situation she was in with him in her dream.

She continued her whispering. "B-But, if t-that is what you w-want, then I'll do it…just for you Naruto-kun."

Before Naruto could fully understand what Hinata was saying or what was happening, she suddenly slid over him and sat up on top.

"I've done w-what you asked me to. I can't wait a-any longer. Can we please continue now?" She asked with a tone of desperation.

"Continue from where?" Naruto questioned back without even thinking, his heart almost about to burst out of his chest.

His question however broke Hinata out of her sleep and she found herself in a truly compromising situation, sitting right on top of Naruto. A few seconds passed as the two looked at each other and their faces got ever brighter, after which a loud "KYAAAAAAAAAA!" shriek followed as Hinata jumped ten feet away from Naruto.

"I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I'M REALLY SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!" She repeated multiple times out of embarrassment.

"I-It's okay Hinata, calm down." Naruto replied while trying to keep his cool. "It's just the two of us anyway. I thought we got over getting embarrassed over these small things."

"Small…I don't think it's small." Hinata replied while vividly imagining the dream she just bad. She quickly stopped before her head did a complete double take. "A-Anyway, I'll go get refreshed."

Thus she quickly rushed off to the restroom leaving Naruto on his own. It turned out to be quite an eventful start to the day so far. Once the commotion settled down a bit, he himself got up to get refreshed, finding that the door to the bathroom was still left open. Thus he walked in to find Hinata getting ready to brush her teeth.

"Can I join?" He requested ever so politely.

"Of course." She replied instantly, having calmed down a little from the previous exchange. "P-Please don't ask me about my dream."

"Why? Was it that bad?" He showed genuine concern.

"No, that's not it. If anything it was a good dream."

Naruto was quite surprised to hear that. "Is that so? Then you could just tell me what you wanted me to continue with in your dream and I could try to do so now."

"OH NO NO NO! That won't be necessary. M-Maybe someday though…soon." Hinata's voice petered out at the end.

"Is that so? If that is what you want then alright." Naruto couldn't help but feel a little disappointed at not finding out what she was dreaming of. "In any case there's quite a lot we need to buy for our new house. Maybe we should make a list before heading out."

"I think the better question would be what we don't need to buy. The house is practically empty. We need to get almost everything imaginable."

Naruto chuckled lightly at the comment. "I guess you're right. But it's kind of fun. We're starting our own little family here. It's quite the different feeling from living in a clan where everything just kind of happens since there are so many people that can be designated to a task."

"I couldn't agree more. I'm looking forward to this new life of ours." Hinata replied with a feeling of excitement. "Let's get refreshed and head out soon."

Naruto extended his toothbrush to Hinata and she squeezed out some paste on to it. As such the couple brushed their teeth in an odd yet amazing harmonious sync with one another. After some more preparation and getting changed, the couple set off to visit meet the Sarutobi for the first time after arriving at Konoha.

As the two walked through the winding road, they enjoyed the beautiful scenery while making small talk.

"So you mentioned you've been to Konoha before?" Hinata initiated with a question.

"Ah yes, I used to visit Konoha with my dad quite a bit as a kid. The Uzumaki clan has had a very good relation with this village and the Sarutobi clan for generations. As you know already my dad's pretty big on creating alliances, being the Kazekage and whatnot. So he visits Konoha quite frequently and used to bring me over with him on trips so that I could get to know this village and carry on our alliances in the future. To be honest I've been to other places in the Land of Fire for clan related purposes, but Konoha was somewhere I used to visit most often as a child."

"What made you stop coming over?" Hinata now asked curiously.

"It was the time when I got lost in the hidden leaf forest leading to the two of us meeting. Ever since then after dad found out what happened he stopped bringing me with him. I know it wasn't his fault for me getting into trouble, but he was genuinely worried back then. Plus I'm sure he didn't want mom to find out. In any case, that was the last time I came to this village."

"I didn't quite realise the aftermath of our unorthodox meeting. I'm sorry for causing such trouble."

Naruto shook his head in disapproval. "Come on now. You think I was troubled by our encounter back then. If we hadn't met that time we wouldn't be here together now would we? That would have been one of the greatest losses I could ever suffer. Saying that I'm glad about everything happening the way it did back then would be a big understatement."

Hinata nodded emphatically after hearing his reasoning. "I feel the same way too. I'm glad with the turn of events that occurred back then, not only because you saved me but also because I got to meet my future husband."

"Who would have known I would stumble across my future wife like that?" Naruto couldn't help but chuckle at the thought. "Perhaps we should try going out into the hidden leaf forest and finding that place once more where we first met. I think it'd be fun. Who knows, we might even get lost again?"

"That's a great idea! We should definitely go out there together at some point." Hinata was ecstatic at the idea. "But I highly doubt we'd get lost now though. Not with all the abilities we possess."

"Yeah I was just kidding. I mean we can both fly now for crying out loud. Plus you have that crazy Ascendant Byakugan that can see for miles and I have a pretty beefed up sage mode that I can use to sense things afar. The only way we're getting lost is if we get sucked into some inter-dimensional vortex, which funny enough did end up happening to us at one point. But I digress. It will definitely be fun if we could find the place we first met. Let's try that soon."

After coming to an agreement to eventually explore the hidden leaf forest together, the couple asked their way around Konoha to reach the Sarutobi's residence shortly. They were currently standing in front of the clan's complex. It wasn't anything as spectacular as either one of their previous residences, but it was certainly bigger than any other place in Konoha. One of the residents of the place escorted them directly to the dining area to be met by the leader of the clan himself – Hiruzen Sarutobi, a very old yet wise man who appeared to be in his 70s.

"Welcome, WELCOME! We've been anticipating you two!" Hiruzen greeted the two with a generous smile. "I hope your journey has been well. Please take your seats."

"Yeah everything has been great so far. Thanks for having us." Naruto replied as he and Hinata took the two seats next to one another.

"It is our pleasure." Hiruzen replied while glancing over to the two people sitting around him, then looking over to Hinata. "Just to get the introductions out of the way for the young lady who is visiting us for first time, I'm of course Hiruzen Sarutobi, the leader of the Sarutobi clan. I'm joined by my younger son Asuma and also my grandson from my elder child, Konohamaru."

Naruto looked at Konohamaru and had some vague memories float through his head. "WHOA! You're that little kid that followed me around when I came over to Konoha."

"I did?" Konohamaru was surprised to hear that. "I don't recall much since I was very young back then."

"I definitely remember you constantly pestering me to make you my subordinate or something. You were quite the persistent kid." Naruto recalled.

"I'm not the same kid anymore!" Konohamaru asserted in his defence. "Although I do vaguely remember admiring someone as my role model when I was a younger. It must have been you."

Hiruzen burst out laughing at the exchange. "Look what we have here. A reunion between master and student."

"I would hardly call us master and student." Naruto gave a deadpanned response.

"Yeah…no." Konohamaru agreed.

While the three exchanged some small talk, Asuma and Hinata waved at each other as greeting.

"How have you been Hinata?" Asuma asked the Hyuga's princess ever so politely.

"I've been well." She replied just as politely. "I hope you've been well too Asuma-sensei."

It was a simple exchange but the other rest were left wide eyed our of surprise

"YOU TWO KNOW EACH OTHER?!" All three of them yelled at the same time.

"I guess I didn't mention, but Asuma-sensei is married to my teacher, Kurenai-sensei." Hinata explained. "He visits us in Kirigakure often and I've known him ever since because of how close I am to my teacher."

"She is Kurenai's student?" Hiruzen was quite surprised by the information. "I didn't quite know this even though Kurenai stays with us so often."

"Yes the Hyuga's princess is indeed Kurenai's student. I guess it is quite a big piece of information I never mentioned." Asuma said while rubbing his head before turning to Hinata. "I hear the Mizukage has decided to place Kurenai in Konoha as part of her duty. Is she coming soon?"

"Indeed that's what father has decided upon, so the three of you can finally get together permanently. I'm happy for you all." Hinata replied with a smile.

Asuma didn't want to show it in front of everyone, but he was truly happy inside.

"Wait wait wait! Take a step back. How the heck are you, a Sarutobi married to Hinata's teacher?" Naruto asked Asuma in a very confused tone. "That's crazy."

"It's a long story but it's still not as crazy as the Uzumaki's heir marrying the Hyuga's princess. If that union can happen despite the age old hatred between the two clans, I think almost anything is possible." Asuma replied.

Naruto sighed in defeat. "I guess you're right about that."

"Well in any case we're glad to have two shinobi of such amazing status and calibre here in Konoha." Hiruzen said to the two. "I know this village is nothing in terms of its scope or power when compared to your home villages, but I hope we can work together to bring Konoha back to its former glory. I don't want to go into the technicalities yet as the two of you just arrived, so you should get settled in first. We can talk about that later. My grandson can help show you around the village and help in buying whatever you need."

"Thank you Konohamaru-kun." Hinata expressed her sincere gratitude. "We'll be counting on you."

"Leave it to me!" Konohamaru said with a grin.

"In any case, we've been talking for a while. Let's get on with our breakfast." Hiruzen suggested to which everyone nodded and dug into their food.

Once they finished their breakfast, as promised Konohamaru joined the couple in taking them around Konoha for whatever they may need. The three of them currently stood near the gates of the compound, about to set out.

"So, where do you guys want to go?" The young Sarutobi asked the two.

"Actually there's something I've been wondering if you could help us with." Naruto pulled out his phone and tapped the screen to show it to him. "We've been getting no reception ever since we got here. Any idea why?"

Konohamaru's eyes though were glimmering. "W-What's this?"

"What do you mean what's this? It's a mobile phone. You use it to communicate with others." Naruto explained nonchalantly, thinking the younger boy was joking.

"How is that even possible without connecting it to the phone line?" He asked back.

"Are you serious?" Naruto now had a bad feeling. "You don't need to connect a mobile phone to the land line. That's why it's called a "mobile" phone. Don't tell me you've never actually seen one of these."

Konohamaru shook his head.

At this point Naruto and Hinata looked at each other wide-eyed with looks of disbelief. However within just a few moments those looks turned into that of fear.

"If you don't have any mobile phones…then could it mean that you have…no internet?" Naruto asked in a shaking voice.

Their fears became reality when the boy gave them an alien look and asked, "What's an internet?"

The couple dropped down to their knees in utter despair, holding on to each other for dear life.

"Where have we come to? A place without internet? Is it even possible to live here?" Naruto asked some truly legitimate questions.

"My…my cat videos…" Hinata sobbed tears of sorrow of what was no longer.

Naruto held his head with both hands when he realised a loss of even great magnitude. "Without internet how am I meant to play online anymore? That game just came out – Duty Calls: Dark Operatives 3. All those newbs running around online. All the bodies waiting to be dropped. How am I supposed to do all of that anymore?"

Naruto's pain reminded Hinata of yet another calamity of the current situation. "OH NO! It's the season premiere of my most anticipated show this year! What's going to happen to Mikasa's love for Eren? Will he ever notice her?"

"I'm more worried they might get nommed on." Naruto expressed some deeper concerns. "That show is brutal."

"NOOOO, don't say that! They'll both live through the power of love and friendship."

"You mean plot armor…" Naruto corrected her.

"Whatever the case may be, we'll never find out." Hinata concluded and the two of them went back to being devastated.

"Well, at least we'll be able to play offline games." Naruto breathed a small sigh of relief.

However, Hinata quickly realised that they didn't have a TV yet and enquired Konohamaru about a bad hunch she had. "Wait, if you don't even have mobile phones, do you by any chance still use those big old CRT TVs? We won't be able to connect our consoles to those things."

Konohamaru was confused at what was happening thus far but at least he knew the answer to this question. "There are TVs other than that?"

"Alright that's enough. There's no way I'm going to able to live here like this. I need to contact dad to tell him to send my TV over along with some other essential stuff." At this point Naruto realised an even bigger issue. "Wait, if you guys only have phone lines inside of this village how do you contact others outside?"

"That's a silly question. We use pigeons of course. Tie the message to their legs and they carry it to the other villages. They are pretty well trained to travel very long distances" Konohamaru gave a simple reply.

But Naruto and Hinata just stared at each other with their mouths agape before looking back at Konohamaru.

"Are you kidding me? Sending messages with pigeons? What is this, the dark ages?" Naruto was now getting frustrated. "Messages should be transmitted through electromagnetic waves, not a bird that could get eaten!"

"Well in that case we do have hawks that can also do the trick." Konohamaru suggested an alternative.

"I give up." Naruto sighed in defeat. "Do you at least have a mailing service? Like one where I can send a letter?"

"Of course we have that. I still think the birds are pretty reliable though. But in any case I'll show you where the post office is. Are you ready to head out finally? We spent an awful lot of time standing here. I'm sure you have a lot of things to buy for your house."

"Yes, let's head out." Naruto agreed and with that the three set out to explore the village of Konoha.

* * *

Hope you liked the chapter. Mostly just some silly stuff this time around. But it was fun to write for that reason. Hinata's dream though...lol.

Since I haven't done them in a while, two references in this chapter. Let's see if anyone recognizes them.

I do have say I'm glad some of you picked up on Boruto and Himawari's origin. We'll delve into that a bit later on so I won't disclose too much. Well that's about it for now. Let me know your thoughts and I'll see you all next time.


	36. The Hidden Leaf Village Part 3

**The Hidden Leaf Village Part 3**

Still a little busy with work and stuff, so updates have been slow. But holidays are just around the corner so I should be able to churn out a bunch of chapters in the near future, and I have some good stuff planned. Anyway, on with the current chapter.

* * *

Konohamaru escorted Naruto and Hinata around Konoha, showing them all the major spots. Since the village was relatively small, practically everyone knew one another. So the occasion also presented the couple with the opportunity to get to know the people of Konoha. During the tour the three stopped at the shopping district, in particular at a furniture store with a decent enough household selection.

"Well this is the place. This is where you'll find most of your household goods and appliances. I've spoken to the shopkeeper and he can assist if necessary. But feel free to explore and try out whatever you want. I need to run an errand for my mother, so I'll leave you two to get on with your shopping. If you need me you know where to look, or just ask anyone. Everyone here is pretty helpful. Anyway, I'll see you around." Konohamaru exchanged farewells with the two before taking off, leaving the couple to their own devices.

"I guess we can take our time." Naruto said to his wife as he looked around at the options. "So, where do we start? I suppose since we're buying, we might as well get furniture for the other two bedrooms even though we aren't going to be using them. What do you think?"

Hinata nodded while deep in thought. "You're right. We can't just leave them empty. That's two extra rooms to think about, but it's nothing I can't handle."

"I like that confidence of yours, which is getting stronger with every passing day." Naruto complimented. "Sometimes it almost feels like you're becoming mom 2.0. She was always very decisive when it came to family related matters."

"Is that a bad thing?" Hinata asked curiously.

"Of course not! I appreciate your input at all times because we're in this together." Naruto was sincere in his reply. "In any case, you're the princess, or perhaps I should say queen. You get to pick what we need. I'll be your escort."

"If you put it that way…" Hinata twiddled her index fingers for a moment before pumping herself up with energy. "I'll do my best!"

Thus the two set off on a long and harrowing journey across the store, picking and trying out each and every piece of furniture they'd need for every room in their new house. After that came the household appliances and once again there were almost too many to count. By the end of their shopping run which ended up lasting quite a few hours, they had procured nearly every household item a newlywed couple could possibly need to start up a new family.

"There are a lot of items here. I'm not sure we can deliver them all by today." The shopkeeper informed the two as he finished sorting out the payments and handed them the receipts. Even with all the expenses incurred, Naruto's wallet was barely dented.

"That won't be necessary." Naruto replied while using his tried and tested signature technique, creating over a hundred clones that swarmed the entire shopping district. "We'll be carrying the items back with us."

The shopkeeper was shocked to see the sheer number of clones for he had never seen anything quite like it. Hinata however appeared un-phased and happily nodded in approval of her husband's idea.

The real Naruto realised one issue however as he turned to address his wife. "I can carry all this stuff home but we'll need to set them up properly in the right place. I think it'd be good to have you around for that. My clones would probably end up making a mess trying to set the entire house up by themselves."

"That shouldn't be an issue. I've got an idea." Hinata herself proceeded to use the same technique as Naruto, creating three clones of herself. "They should be able to help your clones with organisation while we take care of other business."

"That's my wife! Someone who appreciates the great utility of the shadow clones." Naruto grinned at Hinata's clones before looking over to his own battalion of doppelgangers. "You heard her. Let's get our new house sorted out."

A collective "YES!" chant came from the flurry of clones before they split up into groups and started to carry the bevy of items back towards their home.

"So, where are we headed now?" The real Naruto questioned his significant other.

"I think next item on our list has to be grocery shopping. We need to take care of food."

"You're right! How could I forget? Actually this might be an issue. Do you know how to cook?" Naruto asked rather seriously.

"Of course I know how to cook Naruto-kun. Why would I not?"

"I don't know. I mean you are the Hyuga's princess after all. I just thought maybe you never bothered learning how to cook. I'm sure you were raised on some of the best food there is. Regardless, it's a relief to hear that food won't be an issue."

"Leave it to me!" Hinata pumped up her chest with pride in response. "I may not be very hopeful when it comes to my ninja skills, but cooking is one area I'm very confident in."

"Is that so?" Naruto asked rather curiously given that he had never really seen Hinata this bold before. "I don't know if your other self would agree with you on that matter though."

"Y-You're right. I don't even know how she'd respond after hearing that." Hinata flinched at the thought. "Regardless, just to prove to you my abilities as a cook, why don't I make something interesting? How about hot pot? I have my own special recipe that I developed."

Naruto's eyes widened after hearing the suggestion. "Are you for real? I LOVE hot pot. It's not like I get to have it every day."

"Okay then, it's decided. I'll make the best one I can, because that is my way of the chef!" Hinata made a determined declaration.

Naruto however gave her a questioning gaze. "Was that a parody of how I use the phrase - I never give up because that is my way of the ninja?"

Hinata nodded happily. "Yes, I learned it from you when we met as children. That statement and enthusiasm of yours were so infectious. I've been using it ever since."

"Don't know if I ever envisioned that saying to be used in a cooking scenario but if you like it, then that's great. I'm now stoked to try out your cooking!" Naruto replied enthusiastically.

"Well, before any cooking can be done we need to get a variety of ingredients. So let's do that."

"Yeah but what I saw earlier in our tour of the village is that there are no supermarkets." Naruto seemed a bit confused.

"That is true, but there is something even better. They have a farmer's market. So we can get fresh produce directly from there. These are small scale but the ingredients you get are some of the best, bar none. You'll never get the same quality food from supermarkets. I'm actually pretty excited to pick out my own."

"I don't know much about this stuff but if thats case, let's hit the deck. What's first?" Naruto asked.

"If we're making hot pot, we need to secure some good quality beef. The meat is going to be the star of the dish after all." Hinata suggested.

"You're right about that. Let's see if we can grab some meat then." Naruto agreed and the two of them headed to the butcher within the farmer's market.

It was a relatively small shop but a very friendly man welcomed them in.

"You're the new couple in the village everyone's talking about?" He asked rather curiously.

"You already know?" Naruto was surprised by the question.

"This is a pretty small village. We know everyone who lives here and words get around fast. In any case, I'm glad to have your patronage. What would you like today?"

"We were hoping to get some beef. They need to be thinly sliced if possible since we're going to make hot pot." Naruto explained to the shop owner.

"Of course, leave it to me. I can process it just the way you need." He replied. "It must be nice though, having your new wife cooking you hot pot. Cherish these moments. There may come a time in your lives when you'll be lucky if she cooks you anything at all."

"That's not true! I'll always be there for Naruto-kun in whatever way I can. I love hi-" Hinata was about a make a pretty bold declaration before she quickly shut her mouth and coiled up in embarrassment.

The shopkeeper couldn't help but laugh out loud. "I take back what I just said. I think you might have a winner in your hands. Take care of her."

"That goes without saying." Naruto replied while stroking Hinata's back to make her feel at ease. "In any case we might as well grab a variety of other meat products while we are here."

Hinata nodded. "You're right. We should do that. Chicken and lamb would be good to have around for cooking. Maybe some duck even if you'd like it?"

"They all sound good, but to be honest as long as you're making it I don't really mind." Naruto's answer was simple and his point rather straightforward.

"Well, you two choose and I'll get you the best I have. Also, since you're my brand new customers and new to this village as well, the beef for the hot pot is on the house." The shopkeeper said to the couple. "I hope I can have your patronage in the future."

"Oh wow, thanks old man! We'll definitely come over again for our protein related necessities." Naruto was quite surprised at the kind gesture but appreciated it nonetheless.

"Indeed, thank you." Hinata also added sincerely.

Thus the two looked around, chose a bunch of different meat to stock up on for cooking and headed back out into the farmer's market, this time to buy vegetables. They walked around and had a great time talking to the various vendors who sold a wide variety of freshly grown produce. It was quite different from the usual supermarket affair since it was as much a socialising experience as it was a shopping experience. It allowed them to get to know the average people of the village and even though the two were new, the community was very welcoming, giving them a lot of extra items on top of what they bought as newcomer's gift. By the time they were done with their shopping the two were weighed down by bags upon bags of food.

"Those people went crazy giving us all this extra stuff." Naruto even with his incredible strength was having trouble carrying this many bags at once. "Anything else we missed out on?"

"Let's see. We have the protein, a variety of vegetables, tofu, sugar, seasoning, spices, sweet chilli and soy sauces…" Hinata suddenly remembered one important ingredient they did forget. "Ah yes we still need to buy eggs. That's an essential."

"You're right. Let's go grab some then."

As such they made their way over to a shop specialising in poultry and dairy products.

A middle aged woman greeted them enthusiastically. "I heard the new couple was around the market shopping. I was hoping you'd stop by our store as well. Glad to make your acquaintance. What can I get you?"

"Nice to meet you too. We were looking to buy some eggs." Hinata requested. "A dozen if possible."

"Sure thing. Just give me a sec." The lady went to the back of the store and brought back a box of eggs. "Here we are. 12 freshly laid eggs from earlier this morning."

"Oh wow that's awesome. Must be pretty nice getting brand new eggs every day." Naruto commented after seeing how big the eggs looked.

Hinata on the other hand was busy eyeing the chickens at the back. They looked so healthy and cute.

"What's the matter Hinata? You like the chickens or something?"

"Eh?" Hinata was a bit caught off guard by the sudden query addressed to her. "Oh y-yeah. I've always had a fascination towards chickens ever since I was a child. I think they're lovely birds."

"The two of you live in the outer area of Konoha right? If that is the case you could easily raise a few of your own." The shopkeeper suggested. "You can just let them roam around open areas and they'll be happy eating rice grains. They're very low maintenance and you have the benefit of getting eggs on a near regular basis."

Hinata's eyes were practically glowing at this point as she stared directly at Naruto with hope.

"It seems as though the answer's already been decided. I don't mind either. Why not have a few chickens of our own?" Naruto now he looked over to the shopkeeper. "Can you get us a good one that she would like?

"Of course. If you want to breed, you can take a rooster along as well. Who knows, maybe a baby chick will hatch by the time you two are expecting your first child."

"O-O-OUR FIRST CHILD?!" Hinata nearly face planted over the comment.

"W-We just got married. I don't think that'll happen so soon." Naruto was taken aback as well but managed to keep his calm better than his significant other.

"I don't know about you big city folks but here in Konoha people generally have children when they are still relatively young. Allows you play with them when you still have that same energy and drive. It'll be interesting to see what happens with you two."

"A-Anyway, I think w-we'll pass on the r-rooster. Just two chickens will do." Hinata quickly cut the topic off before it got way out of comfort zone.

Before long with the shopkeeper's help Hinata picked two dark brown coloured hens that she would like to raise.

"So, where exactly do we keep them at night?" Naruto asked curiously.

Almost on cue the vendor lady placed a medium sized cage on the counter in front of them. "Ideally you want to make a nice little coop for them but this should be a decent start. Consider this a gift from me to my new customers."

"Oh wow. Not only did you help us pick but you're also giving us this as well? That's awfully kind of you!" Naruto expressed his genuine feelings, but at this point he had done so at almost every shop they had been to.

The lady simply waved with a smile. "Don't mention it at all. You're new here and we're a small community, so helping each other is part of our lifestyle. Plus you two remind me of my own self and my husband when we were younger. We're still going strong after all these years. I hope it's the same for the two of you."

Both Naruto and Hinata accepted those well wishes graciously and expressed their gratitude once more. As such they picked up everything they had acquired during their shopping run and headed back home.

As they walked through the outskirts of Konoha, Hinata was grinning ear to ear while looking at the two birds she was carrying.

"Those two turned out to be the best purchase of the day huh?" Naruto asked her gleefully.

"I never thought we'd end up raising our own chicken. They're just so cute and adorable. This village may not be a technologically advanced, but it's a lot closer to nature than we've ever been. It's actually quite nice breathing in the fresh air and looking at the beautiful scenery around where we live."

"The best part has to be the people though. They were all so friendly and welcoming. I was kind of surprised." Naruto added.

"You're definitely right about that. The people of Konoha are certainly very hospitable, more so than any other place I've been to before."

"It actually makes me want to work hard to improve this village even more now."

"I truly understand that sentiment."

As the couple were about to make their way into their front yard, they suddenly became witnesses to an ongoing anarchy outside their own home. The hundred or so Naruto clones were in a heated debate with one another, leading to a huge chorus of arguments overwhelming the area. Amongst them the three poor clones of Hinata were having troubles finding their voice.

"WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU DESERVE HER KISS?!" One of the nearest clones shouted to the one next to it. "I WORKED THE HARDEST, SO I SHOULD GET TO BE ONE TO KISS HER!"

"STOP JOKING AROUND! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY THAT I CLEARLY DID MORE WORK THAN YOU?! SO JUST SHUT UP, DISAPPEAR AND LET ME HAVE MY PRIZE!" The other close retaliated.

At this point the first clone had enough and thought up a quick plan. He pointed at the sky behind its fellow clone and shouted, "LOOK IT'S FLYING RAMEN BOWL SHAPED UFO!"

"WHERE?" The other clone instantly turned around in search of this mythical object.

At that moment the unthinkable happened. He was backstabbed in cold blood and disappeared with a poof of smoke. The heinous action brought all the other clones to a screeching halt.

"I saw him. He took a cheap shot. HE DEFINITELY TOOK A CHEAP SHOT! GET HIM!" Another clone ordered it's fellows who all looked equally angry at the act, but the moment he turned around he too was attacked from the back and disappeared in an instant.

"Oh so this is how it's going to be huh? It's a free for all. Last man standing gets to have Hinata all to himself." One of the Narutos declared war to the rest.

"Sounds like how it should have been from the very start. LET'S GOOOOOOOOOO!" Came a huge battle cry and with it the remaining clones engaged in an all-out battle royal to determine the victor.

The three Hinata clones barely managed to escape the mayhem and came over to the original two.

"What is happening?" The real Hinata was flabbergasted by what she saw.

"Once we were done with setting up the house, one of the Naruto-kuns asked for a kiss as a reward for his hard work. I agreed of course. I didn't see a reason not to, but I made a huge mistake since the rest of the clones also started to ask for a kiss and an argument broke out." One of Hinata's clones explained in detail.

"Couldn't the three of you just give them all a kiss?" Hinata asked.

"We did suggest that but it seemed to cause even bigger problems as they all started to get jealous of one another and did not want anyone else other than themselves to receive a kiss." Another Hinata elaborated.

The real Naruto facepalmed. "Oh my goodness! This is what happens when I leave them alone. They always find a way to end up starting a fight. I can't believe the reason behind the fight this time though. In any case…"

Within a moment Naruto dispelled the clones and they all disappeared at once. Hinata also did the same.

"Wow…" Hinata was lost for words.

Naruto couldn't help but sigh. "I'm sorry you had to see that. I guess my clones do inherit my personality and feelings as well. And I kind of do feel very strongly about you. Not that I expected them to break out into a fight because of jealousy."

"I-It's okay really. I a-appreciate it in a way. Any wife would be happy if her h-husband were very protective of her."

"Is that so?" Naruto asked Hinata with a hopeful look, to which she gave a resounding nod. "Somehow you are able to make my embarrassing moments into ones worth cherishing. You're truly someone special to me Hinata."

Hinata could only fidget in place after hearing such a compliment. Her movements however caused one of the chickens to call out in annoyance from its cage, making the couple laugh out in response.

"I suppose they're not so appreciative of our moment." Naruto said jokingly. "We need to set them up. Before that though let's go inside and check out our new house."

But just as Naruto was about to go inside, Hinata called out to him. "Actually, there is something..."

Before he could even turn to fully face her, Naruto suddenly felt the soft sensation of Hinata's lips as she kissed him on his cheek.

"Thanks for the hard work." She whispered to him before rushing off indoors.

He stood stunned for a while as it took a few moments for him to regain his composure after the delicate yet enchanting sensation wore off, but eventually Naruto also followed Hinata inside to their newly furnished house, one where they would start their own family.

* * *

Hope you liked the mostly fluffy and lighthearted chapter. There will be an important character joining Naruto and Hinata soon. So we'll get to the serious stuff in a bit.

My big props go to **mds777** and **GenocideKhaos** for getting both of the references from last chapter. One of them is a game I'm playing at the moment.

**Trainer1232**: You're right. Eventually Konoha will become more modern, but for the time being it is something a little bit more traditional.

In any case, that is all for today. Let me know your thoughts and I hope to see you all next time. So until then, be well :)


	37. Boruto & Himawari Part 2

**Boruto &amp; Himawari Part 2**

* * *

Naruto was sitting at the new dining table in their living room as Hinata brought in the hot pot and placed it on the portable furnace on the table, turning on the flames so that they could cook the contents within the pot.

She grabbed the rest of the items from the kitchen and then took a seat next to Naruto. "All preparations complete. Now we just wait for the meat and vegetables to cook before we can dig in."

"I still can't believe you're so proficient at this. I'm really impressed. I can't wait to try out your cooking." Naruto appeared truly enthusiastic.

Hinata however looked somewhat concerned. "More importantly, how is your finger?"

"Oh don't worry about that. It's fine now."

Although he replied with reassuring words, Hinata still took Naruto's left hand and examined his index finger closely, which was currently bandaged up.

"From now on you will leave all cooking affairs to me. I do not want to see you attempt anything relating to such matters AT ALL!" Hinata for the very first time gave a strict order to her husband as opposed to making a meek request. "I should have heeded your mother's warning more seriously."

"HAI!" Naruto cried out obediently. It was very rarely did he ever see this "normal" version of Hinata act as seriously as she did regarding the incident that happened earlier.

**Flashback Start - 30 Minutes Ago**

Naruto and Hinata just arrived home and dropped all of their shopping bags in the kitchen.

"I'm absolutely starving. Can we have the hot pot soon?" Naruto asked his wife kindly.

Hinata had already started to sort through the ingredients in the shopping bags. "Yes, I'll get to work right now. These vegetables just need to be sliced up and the rest should be pretty simple after that."

"Alright then in that case let's get it done together and we can have the food prepared in no time!" Naruto announced with great enthusiasm.

However he was met by his wife's cynical eyes. "Are you sure that's okay? I do recall your mother warning me to not allow you to do any kitchen related chores. In light of her advice I don't know if this is such a good idea."

"Come on now Hinata, I'm a grown man, not to mention a highly qualified ninja. You think I can't handle my way around the kitchen? My mom can be a bit too paranoid when it comes to me, probably because I was an only child. So yeah, just chill and let me help you out. What needs chopping up?"

Hinata ever so reluctantly pointed at the bag of onions on the ground. "I'll leave you to slice up some onions in that case."

"Leave it to me!" Naruto replied confidently and followed directions.

Seeing him work so diligently gave Hinata some peace of mind. He seemed pretty reliable. Not to mention, he was just chopping up some onions. What could possibly go wrong?

Little did Hinata know, everything could go wrong. As she was washing the vegetables that were going to be included in the dish, she suddenly heard the loud noise of the knife hitting the floor. Hinata instantly turned around to look towards Naruto, who looked back at her with teary eyes.

"Hinata-chaaaaan~~~make it stop…pleaseeeee." He cried out to her in a desperate tone while holding up his left index finger, which was now gushing blood. He went into full on panic mode, running around in circles like a chicken with its head cut off.

"Stop, don't move. Let me take care of it!" Hinata decisively grabbed Naruto and brought him to a halt. She then proceeded to take his injured finger and placed it in her mouth. Instantly the strong taste of iron overcame her taste buds, but she sucked rather strongly in response.

"I-If you suck on it so h-hard…it stings." Naruto complained at the slight pain caused by Hinata's saliva reacting with his wound, holding in the urge to groan at the sensation.

"You're a ninja right? Just bear with it for a moment. This should reduce the bleeding in a moment." Hinata ordered while continuing to suck on his finger for a while longer and sure enough the bleeding reduced. She spat out a mouthful of blood on to the kitchen sink and neatly wrapped Naruto's finger up with a bandage. "That was quite the deep cut considering the amount of blood you lost. Any worse and that would have required stitches."

"Thanks a bunch for taking care of the injury. I don't know what I would have done if you weren't around." Naruto expressed his gratitude.

"You wouldn't have gotten in the kitchen, that's what you would have done." Hinata replied unusually strictly. "So this was the reason why your mother warned me about letting you in the kitchen. I should have listened to her advice. Or your safety I won't make the same mistake ever again. You won't involve yourself with anything in the kitchen from now on, is that clear?"

"HAI!" Naruto gave a quick and curt reply seeing the stern look in Hinata's eyes. It kind of reminded him of his mother when she wouldn't back down once she had made up her mind. Thus he agreed to his wife's demands to ensure a peaceful future.

**Flashback End – Present Time**

The contents inside the hot pot were boiling and ready for consumption.

Naruto enthusiastically picked up a slice of delicious looking beef and placed it on his plate. His mouth was watering at the sight and smell of such beautifully cooked food. He took a bite and his taste buds were sent into culinary heaven. Everything was cooked to perfection, the spices were on point, and Hinata's original recipe was so unique that Naruto was literally having a foodgasm right now. He grabbed another piece of meat and took a bite, which was enough to send tears rolling down his eyes.

"This is amazing. Just amazing. Words can't describe how good this is!" Naruto barely managed to utter out in between gobbling down the food.

"It's great that you're enjoying the meat, but make sure to add in some vegetables as well." Hinata couldn't help but smile at her husband's overly enthusiastic way of eating. To her just watching him enjoy her cooking was all she could ask for. Observing him and hearing his praise made her feel a sense of happiness inside that couldn't quite be explained, which led her to keep staring at his face without taking a single bite of her own.

Naruto however noticed this and focused his attention on her. "Come on Hinata. This food is so good. Aren't you going to eat?"

Hinata was a little caught off guard by the sudden query but still remained cheerful. "It's just that seeing you enjoy the food so much kind of sated my own appetite. I'm so glad you like it. Cooking is only really enjoyable when it is done for the ones you love, or so I think."

"That won't do Hinata. I can't be the only one enjoying this great food. If you won't eat the food yourself then here, let me help you with it." Naruto picked up a slice of meat from the hot pot with his chopsticks and blew on it ever to gently to cool it down. He then proceeded to feed it to his wife.

Hinata was surprised at first at the gesture but accepted it graciously nonetheless. "You don't have to go this far. I can eat by myself."

"You did do the hard work of cooking all of this by yourself. This is the least I can do." Naruto said to her in a kind tone.

Hinata hesitated for a moment but worked up the courage to confide in him. "If you insist on it I might just take you up on the offer."

"It would be my honor princess." Naruto gave a simple reply and Hinata accepted. As such he not only ate himself, but also fed Hinata as well.

While the two enjoyed their dinner together Naruto thought up a great plan.

"What do you say we explore the hidden leaf forest tomorrow?" He suggested. "I think it'll be a lot of fun trying to find the place where we first met each other."

"That sounds like a great idea!" Hinata was truly looking forward to the outing. "I can still vaguely remember the tree under which we had our first encounter. I'd love to visit it. There are a lot of memories tied to that place."

"I think so too, in which case let's head out early tomorrow morning so that we have a long day to explore the forest."

The couple came to an agreement and as such decided to call it a night right after dinner to wake up early next morning to set off on their adventure.

**The Next Morning…**

Keeping to plans the two set out from their house early. Hinata even prepared some food beforehand to eat on their outing. It was almost like a picnic of sorts but with a sense of adventure thrown in. Given the close proximity of the hidden leaf forest from their house, the two had already ventured quite deep in within just 30 minutes of exploring. Right now they were slowly trudging through the dense foliage of the forest, guided by the small amount of light leaking through the many layers of canopy above.

"Wow, this place is like a maze." Naruto commented on the location. "It's kind of hard to find our destination given that we only remember it as being some kind of a giant tree. I mean most trees are pretty big around here."

"I know what you mean, but to be honest it won't be a big loss even if we don't find the place we're looking for. It's kind of fun just taking a stroll through the forest. We don't have dense woods like this where I used to live. Actually it'as mostly just mist in Kirigakure."

"You do have a point. I'm used to just seeing a lot of water around Uzushiogakure. Konoha in comparison is quite different, being located right in the middle of this dense forest. I guess we should just have fun checking this place out. It's almost like our backyard at this point."

Hinata nodded in agreement but at that moment something peculiar caught their attention. Ahead of them there was some form of orange light shining through some bushes. This caught the couple's attention and they reached closer to the light as it died down. Looking through the bushes there was a clearing of sorts, an open area within the forest. What was shocking however was the two people that were standing at the clearing, two individuals Naruto and Hinata had confronted not too long ago. They remembered the siblings quite vividly. It was none other than Boruto and Himawari, the Uzumaki-Hyuga siblings that Naruto and Hinata fought briefly near Uzushiogakure, but this time both the brother and sister looked a little bit older. They were in their early twenties as opposed to being in their late teens, which made no sense given that Naruto and Hinata had confronted them only a few weeks earlier. Despite this the couple remained hidden in the bushes to listen in on their conversation.

Boruto appeared both shocked and livid at the same time. Himawari on the other hand looked heartbroken.

"You have got to be kidding me…" The older brother stated in disbelief.

"I wish this was all a lie. I truly wish it was, but this is the reality. The Hyuga elders finally confessed to me about our mother's death." Himawari said to her brother with a heavy heart. "She was killed by the Uchiha as revenge for everything that happened between our clans."

Boruto punched the ground so hard that a crack opened up for nearly a mile. "I can't believe this! Mother…killed by the Uchiha…yet that old man of ours never bothered telling us even once about this huge crisis. This is unbelievable!"

"Father kept it a secret from us since he probably did not want us to seek revenge. That is why he himself made the decision not to pursue the Uchiha. He wished to break the cycle of hatred between the clans; otherwise the fighting would never end." Himawari explained.

"That's a load of absolute rubbish. Do you really think I'm going to let the Uchiha walk away with their crimes? What exactly did our mother do to them in the first place? She didn't do anything to the Uchiha. But Because of them she is no longer with us. Because of them we were never able to meet our mother. I won't let them get away with this! The Uchiha will feel my retribution! I WILL AVENGE OUR MOTHER AT ALL COSTS!" Boruto declared with absolute determination in his voice.

"But that's exactly what our father did not want. He did not want the fighting to continue." Himawari reminded her brother.

"I don't care what our father wanted. I am not like father. I am my own man now. I've had ENOUGH of walking in his shadows. As the leader of the Uzumaki clan, as Boruto Uzumaki, I will make my own decisions!"

Himawari did not know what to say to her brother at this point. On one hand she understood his drive to avenge their mother, but on the other hand she also understood her father's wish to bring an end to all the conflicts between the Uzumaki, Hyuga and Uchiha clans. She was stuck with a dichotomy.

"WHO'S THERE?!" Boruto had noticed the two people hiding in the bushes and called them out.

At this point Naruto and Hinata had no choice but to come out of hiding and confront the siblings.

"It's you two!" Himawari instantly recognised the two, having met them once before.

"Yeah it's us and we have a score to settle with the two of you after running away from the fight you picked with us last time!" Naruto declared to the siblings aggressively.

The siblings returned the confrontational looks and stood their ground. It didn't take long for the situation to intensify just like before as both sides prepared to engage.

"I'm not exactly in the best of moods right now, so let's make this quick. Last time I used my father's technique in our brief skirmish, but I've had enough of being in his shadow. This time I'll show you my own power, one that I have created myself." Boruto tore out the small bolt he was wearing around his neck and held it in his hand. As sparks of lightning flowed around the metallic object, it started to float above Boruto's open palm. He simply pointed his index finger at Naruto and in the blink of an eye the bolt flew towards its target and hit Naruto square in his forehead, the impact of which was strong enough that it sent him flying backwards through the air.

Everything was happening so fast that Naruto didn't even have enough time to gather his thoughts when suddenly he saw Boruto teleport right above him and grab the bolt in mid-air, charging up his fist with intense lightning.

"LIGHTNING TRANSMISSION: BOLT IMPACT!" In the blink of an eye akin to a lightning strike, Boruto landed a lightning imbued gut wrenching punch to Naruto's midsection that sent a burst of electricity surging through his body and made him crash into the ground below, the impact of which created a massive crater and left the entire area shaking as though an earthquake had just hit.

"NARUTO-KUN NOOOOOOOOOO!" Hinata cried out in both shock and concern after witnessing what happened within just a few moments.

"I wouldn't look away if I were you, for these are flames that burn as intensely as the sun itself." Himawari warned her fellow clan mate as she focused her concentration and began a chant to cast one of her strongest techniques. "Fire burns. Fire heals. Fire blinds. Fire reveals. – SACRED FIRE!"

Himawari breathed out a severely powerful burst of blue flames from her mouth that were so hot that they did not simply burn their target, but rather melted everything in their path. Because the technique came out so fast and had such a wide area of effect Hinata was caught right in the midst of the unforgiving blue flames, as was the surrounding forest.

And thus just like that the battle was over.

However, an onlooker of the carnage, or rather the cause of all this carnage watched Naruto and Hinata from further within the woods. Everything was going according to the fox, Nine's plan.

"Boruto. Himawari. Nine has tested them enough. Lead those two here. It is finally time for Nine to make their acquaintance face to face. After all, Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Hinata are two invaluable components within the world envisioned by Nine's eyes." The fox stated with a smirk as the complex star-like pattern within its eyes disappeared.

Everything that happened to Naruto and Hinata in the forest thus far, as well as the siblings themselves were nothing but a genjutsu casted by Nine's Mangekyou Sharingan.

* * *

What do you think - should Boruto and Himawari forgive the Uchiha for killing their mother, or should they try to get revenge? It's a hypothetical question of course since this is a genjutsu. Although there is a certain element of truth to it as you'll see later. Nine isn't just showing them any random genjutsu.

It should be interesting next time when Naruto and Hinata finally meet the fox. As I said before Nine will be a very important character in the story.

**Yuyui Hime:** Fluff is my middle name at this point lol. Glad you appreciate the fluff. Who doesn't love fluff?

Some somewhat obscure references to certain games this time. Let's see if anyone recognised them.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter and as always I would love to hear your thoughts. Other than that I will see you all next time. Until then, be well.


	38. The Original Meeting

**The Original Meeting**

* * *

The aftermath of the engagement between the two groups was devastating, and from it Naruto emerged fuming with rage.

"For him to catch me off guard like that; it is humiliating! I won't let it happen again!" Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs.

However, he soon realised that his anger was nothing compared to that of a certain other person as the ground itself started to shake uncontrollably by the second. Naruto looked over in the distance only to see Hinata stand up as well, her eyes changing into their Ascendant form.

"GrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Hinata's scream tore through the forest as the earth trembled like an earthquake of immense magnitude was about to ravage the place. The wildlife in the forest was going crazy with all sorts of birds and animals calling out in distress for their lives.

Naruto understood that Hinata's other personality would not take to such a hit and run tactic by anyone lightly, but at the same time he needed to stop her before she brought about untold destruction.

"Hinata please control yourself! I know you're angry and that your pride is hurt, because mine is too, but if you were to unleash all of your rage here it would destroy a large part of this forest and the life that lives within. We can't do that. We mustn't do that. So please, calm yourself!" He begged her while struggling to remain standing under such immense power. If matters got any further out of hand he himself would have to use his own powers to confront her.

However, luckily for him his voice of reason managed to reach the real Hinata who was on the verge of being taken over by her other more aggressive personality. The original Hinata understood Naruto's concerns and came back to her senses, trying her best to supress her other self.

"Please…no more. Naruto-kun is right…I mustn't lose control…or this place…would be destroyed." Hinata forcefully shut her eyes and using every ounce of willpower she could muster, she supressed her other self, returning her eyes back to normal and taking control once more. Hinata dropped to her knees and breathed heavily as the earthquake slowly came to a halt, returning peace to the forest once more.

Naruto rushed over to Hinata and held her shoulders for support. "Hinata, are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah…I'm fine." She replied with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry I almost lost control there. My other self does not take kindly to losing. Thank you for bringing me back to my senses."

"Oh no it's nothing. I'm just glad that you're okay." At this point Naruto looked around only to find something suspicious. "Is it just me or is there literally no aftermath left after those two attacked us? I'm sure when that Uzumaki punched me into the ground it created a large crater, and when that Hyuga used her fire style technique it burned the surrounding forest. Yet it looks like the place is the same as when we first got here as though no battles took place here at all."

Hinata looked around and to her surprise there was indeed not a single sign of any struggles taking place. "You're right. I'm sure there should have been some kind of leftover effects from such powerful attacks. Could it be that it was all a genjutsu?"

"Maybe, but I can sense a trail through the forest. Want to see where it leads?" Naruto asked Hinata and she nodded instantly. As such with their curiosities piqued the couple started to traverse deeper into the forest.

They jumped from tree to tree until eventually they arrived at another clearing, this one being much bigger. There was a truly massive tree that reached up into the skies above all other trees, providing shade to the entire clearing. Instantly a sense of dejavu hit both Naruto and Hinata simultaneously.

"Could it be?!" Hinata asked Naruto in shock.

"If I remember correctly there is only one way to find out." Naruto took her hand and together they walked up close to the gargantuan tree.

Sure enough the thing they were expecting to see was right in front of their face. Two small lines were curved right next to each other on the surface of the tree. They were a sign left there by their younger selves.

"I still remember this." Hinata said while touching the indents. "We carved these to compare our heights when we were kids."

"Yup, I remember it clearly as well now. Back then we decided we'd come back here to compare how big we got the next time we met." Naruto reminisced with a large grin on his face. "Well, we're here now. What do you say we fulfil the wish of our younger selves?"

Hinata nodded happily and stood in front of one of the marks as Naruto took out his kunai to draw a new line above Hinata's head. They repeated the process but this time Hinata drawing the line above Naruto. As such their new heights were recorded and unlike when they were younger, this time Naruto's line was a little bit higher than Hinata's.

"You've gotten taller than me." Hinata asked curiously while comparing the two sets of lines that were a decade apart in age.

"I guess ten years can bring quite a change to one's body." Naruto started to eye up Hinata and pointed to her chest. "I mean I might have gotten a bit taller but you've grown significantly in that particular area. Those things are outrageous. What do you have to feed on to get them so big, men's hopes and dreams?"

Hinata's eyes widened instantly and she quickly covered up her chest with both hands. "T-T-T-T-That's sexual harassment. Naruto-kun ecchi sketchy one touchy!"

Naruto was about to continue but at that moment they sensed something. "There's someone here!"

The couple got on guard and jumped a few steps back from the tree to be safe.

"Now now my friends…be not alarmed." An orange fox with an unusually long tail, one that was bigger in length than the rest of its body came out from behind the great tree.

"It's a talking fox!" Hinata said in shock.

"IT'S YOU!" Naruto exclaimed as soon as he saw the fox's face. "You're the fox that was spying on us in Uzushiogakure weren't you?"

"Spying may be…a bit misinformed. Just…watching." Fox replied, being as calm as cucumber. There was this air of sophistication and mystique around it that just could not quite be touched.

"Then why the heck did you run from us if you were only watching? Explain yourself." Naruto demanded, not quite yet convinced. "Who the heck are you anyway?"

"It was just not our time to meet back then, but it is now. So l shall introduce myself, as you so wish." The fox's tail which otherwise normally curled around in mid-air now stood straight, showing how long it truly was. "I am Nine, Emissary of the Sage. You may simply refer to me as Nine. It is but Nine's pleasure to finally make the two of your acquaintance."

"Nine…" Both Naruto and Hinata said the fox's name with a bit of apprehension.

"Why were you watching us back then? What exactly do you want from us?" Hinata asked politely. "And why exactly do you refer to yourself as an emissary of the Sage?"

Nine nodded in response. "Those are but good questions. Expected as well. So allow Nine to elaborate a little. By now the two of you must have heard the tale of the hero. The old legend told across the nations of a man who sacrificed his life to protect the ninja world from a great evil?"

"Yes well most children know about that tale from storybooks. And I'm sure most people probably also think of it as some children's story." Naruto stated as a matter-of-fact. "But within the Uzumaki clan that story of the hero, the original sage that protected the ninja world is one that is firmly believed to be true. He was thought to be of Uzumaki descent."

"As we've found out recently, I think that same person is known within the Hyuga as the traitor. He doesn't quite hold the same illustrious reputation within my clan, but regardless he is also thought to be of Hyuga descent." Hinata added.

"Yes…yeeees…you're already quite well informed. It makes Nine's job much…simpler." The fox replied with an unusual smile on its face. "Legends state that the original sage, a man known as such for both his great wisdom and power once fought and sacrificed his life in order to defeat a great evil that threatened the ninja world 1000 years ago. A long time has passed since then and the same evil has started to stir once again, focusing its gaze upon this world. However, even though the hero is no longer here, his descendants still remain. And that is where Nine's role comes into play. Nine has been searching…looking for the descendants from both of your clans. For the longest time…no luck. The Uzumaki and Hyuga at each other's throats. Fighting. Destroying each other throughout the ages. BUT, when all hope was about to be lost…Nine found the two of you. Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Hinata…the two descendants of the hero who have inherited all of his powers, united together. Nine's age old search has finally come to an end. The descendants have finally come together who can once again face the ancient evil that threatens this world. The two of you will write the very course of history itself. That is absolute."

Naruto and Hinata were dumbfounded by the knowledge that was suddenly given to them by this wise sounding fox. They didn't know what to make of it.

"So you're saying that the two of us are supposed to fight this ancient evil that threatens the world?" Naruto asked while scratching his head, to which the fox nodded. "That's some pretty esoteric information you dropped on us. But why the heck were you spying on us? Couldn't you have just come out and told this to us earlier in Uzushiogakure?"

"Nine wished to test your strength…to ensure that you are indeed worthy descendants. Nine has been tracking you since your original meeting in this forest, yeeees? The last bout between the two of you in Uzushiogakure was the final proof Nine needed to witness. Now there are no doubts. You are the ones."

"Wait a sec…does that mean you've been stalking us for the past ten years?" Naruto asked the fox with a look of disbelief.

"Stalking…not the correct word. Observing…from afar." The fox clarified.

"THAT'S CALLED STALKING YOU CREEPY OLD FOX!" Naruto's look of disbelief now turned into disgust. "Don't tell me you sneaked a peak at me while I was in the bath, you ero-kitsune!"

Both Nine and Hinata had a deadpanned look on their faces.

"N-Naruto-kun, is that really what you're worried about?" Hinata asked as a sweat drop appeared on her forehead.

"I've been saving myself for you, you know. I didn't let anyone ever look at me funny, let alone without my clothes on. Or so I thought. It seems my innocence has been taken away by this fox's perverted gaze. I'M SORRY!" Naruto shouted as he dropped to his knees in despair.

"Haaa…" Hinata was a little lost for words. "I don't mind…I guess?"

"ARE YOU CRAZY?! NINE HASN'T BEEN LOOKING AT YOU WHILE YOU WERE IN THE BATH! NINE DOESN'T CARE FOR SUCH HUMAN DESIRES!" The fox shouted back in its defence.

"Calm down man, I'm just kidding." Naruto replied as he took on a more serious expression. "I get your message, but in all seriousness given your somewhat shady behaviour, why exactly should we trust your story?"

A smile returned back to the fox's face. "That is simple. Without Nine the two of you probably would not be standing here together. It was because of Nine did the two of you meet and survive Kumogakure's assault in the first place."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Naruto was now curious.

"It is better for you to see it as opposed to simply being told it. Therefore, allow Nine to take you back to the day of your original meeting and all shall become clear." The fox explained ad its tail started to glow before the light from it overwhelmed the couple's vision completely. When they regained their sight however, they were in a completely different part of the forest.

"What is going on?" Hinata asked while looking around. "How did we get here?"

"Nine is a master of manipulation and genjutsu. This is a vision from the past you're seeing because of Nine's powers." The fox explained before pointing its tail towards a young boy walking through the forest a little distance away from them. "For now, watch the past unfold."

That young boy was none other than Naruto, but a nine year old version of himself. He looked lost and was wandering around without any sense direction.

"This place is like a maze. I think I'm just going around in circles at this point. It seems I really have managed to get myself lost in this forest." The young Naruto sighed. "Oh well, I just have to wait for dad to realise I've gone missing from the village. I'm sure once he notices he'll find me with his sage mode. I guess I should just sit down here and wait for him to get me."

As Naruto was about to take a seat he heard the rustling of bushes nearby. He thought he saw some kind of shape there for a second before it disappeared. With his curiosity piqued, he walked through the bushes to check out the source of the noise. However there was nothing on the other side. But this time he saw the rustling of some more bushes a little distance away, so he chased after the source, once again missing it by a bit. Just as before though some more bushes rustled in the distance and before he knew it, the young Naruto without thinking or wanting to give up started to go deeper and deeper into the forest to find whatever it is that was eluding him. He did so until eventually he reached a large clearing somewhere deep in the forest, a place that was shrouded in the shade of a great tree. To his shock though he saw a little girl about the same age as him sitting down near the tree with her head held low. Now he was truly intrigued. What could another person let alone a young girl be doing so deep within the forest? To find out he stepped out into the open and walked near her. It was at this point did he realise that the girl was crying and also managed to get her attention. She looked up at him and their gazes met for the very first time.

This was a moment in time where time itself seemed to come to a standstill. She hadn't even spoken a word but Naruto's heart was pounding like crazy. Her eyes looked so different, their pale white hue giving her an alien-like appearance. But to him she looked almost like an alien princess. Words could not quite describe the fluttery feeling that he was feeling inside.

"W-What are you d-doing here? And w-why are you crying?" He barely managed to stutter out amidst the crazy palpitations of his poor young heart.

The girl still wept but managed to regain some control over herself after seeing the presence of another person, enough at least to explain her situation. "I was travelling with my clan when we were attacked by a large group of shinobi. Those people, it seems they wanted to capture me for some reason. So my clan mates started to fight them to protect me and told me to escape. I didn't know what to do, so I ran as far as I could. But now I'm worried about my clan. And I'm lost. I don't know what to do anymore. I'm scared."

Naruto felt awful seeing the girl go back to crying. "H-Hey, please don't cry. I'm sure your clan mates will be okay. You have to believe in them. That's what it means to be part of a clan. Trust me, I know. I'm from a pretty big clan myself. And as one big family, we never give up on each other!"

Naruto's bold and spirited statement gave the girl hope. She was a bit mesmerised by his confidence, something she sorely lacked.

"Also, if it makes you feel any better, I'm lost too. I started exploring the forest and ended up wandering too far in. Now I don't know how to get out. But there's no point in panicking because that's not going to get us anywhere. So I guess I'll keep you company until our families come to get us." Naruto suggested with one of his signature grins.

"W-W-What if those bad guys attack us? I wouldn't want you to be involved." The girl was still worried about their current circumstance.

"Don't worry about it. If it comes to that then I'll protect you. It's a promise. And I never go back on my word, because that is my way of the ninja." Naruto announced with utmost tenacity, something that made him who he was.

Even though Naruto was just a child, he somehow looked more reliable than anyone she had ever met. He was someone she could put her trust upon. Thus the young girl nodded in response.

Naruto smiled in response. "You know what they say right, when life gives you melons you gotta slice em up and eat em."

"I think the actual saying goes something like when life gives you lemons, make lemonade." The girl corrected him, but for the very first time since they met she spoke with a heartfelt smile, one that would become permanently etched within Naruto's memories.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. You can just call me Naruto." He suggested politely.

The girl was deep in thought for a second before she finally seemed to make up her mind. "Naruto…kun. It is a beautiful name. I should introduce myself as well. I'm Hi-"

"Hime." Naruto completed her introduction for her. "If it's okay that is what I want to call you, because to me you look just like a princess."

The young girl blushed a dark shade of red after hearing his compliment. No one had ever addressed her as a princess. But she nodded happily at his request nonetheless.

Thus Naruto and Hinata met each other for the very first time. Little did they know however that the rest of their lives would become entangled together due to this very meeting.

* * *

I've been waiting to introduce Nine for quite a while. More about him in the upcoming chapters. I hope you guys grow to like him :)

This chapter was filled with a few references, especially Nine. Hope someone caught on to it, but if not maybe over time it'll happen.

**larryjc:** In regards to Boruto and Himawari from last chapter, they're the same ones that have appeared before. It's just that this time around Boruto and Himawari have gotten a bit older. The reason I'm doing this is because each time they appear they'll get be a bit older until eventually the main story spanning their whole life will be told. Hopefully at that point everything will fall into place.

**DarkManta:** Wow I was seriously thinking about Shokugeki no Soma when I was writing last chapter, especially the part where Naruto was having a foodgasm. I think I found out people could have foodgasms from that manga lol.

Well, that's it for now. Since I'm on sweet sweet holidays right now I'll try to bring the next update soon. Hope everyone is also having a great relaxing time with family and friends. As always, let me know your thoughts and take care until next time.


End file.
